NIVERSITY  OF  CA  RIVERS, 

3  121001817  1940 


UBRWT 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
RIVERSIDE 


f/lrft 

TV 


' 


The  Spy  Company 


MISS  GODFREY  AT  SARATOGA,   1844. 


The  Spy 

Company 

A  Story  of  the  Mexican  War 


BY 

ARCHIBALD  CLAVERING  GUNTER 

nJ 

AUTHOR    OF 

"MR.  BARNES  OF   NEW  YORK,"    "THE   CITY  OF 
MYSTERY,"  ETC. 


NEW  YORK 
THE  HOME  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


ft  03.au 


Copyright,  1901 

by 

A.    C.    GUNTER 
All  Rights  Reserved 

Published,  January 


CONTENTS 


BOOK  I 

ESTRELLA    GODFREY 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  I. — Saratoga  in  Eighteen  Hundred  and  Forty- 
four  5 
"       II. — War  With  Mexico             ...             73 
"       III. — The  Captain  of  Texan  Rangers     •         -34 
"       IV. — The  Fight  for  the  Desert  Spring                     49 

BOOK  II 
TAYLOR'S  CAMP  AT  CORPUS  CHRISTI 

CHAPTER  V. — The  March  for  the  Rio  Grande  64 

•«       VI. — The  Goliad  House           -  75 

"       VII.— The  Dancing  Girl  of  Matamoras  -       88 

"       VIII.— "To  Save  Him,  I  Spare  Her !  "  -          102 

BOOK  III 

FRONTIER    CHIVALRY 

CHAPTER  IX. — The  Passions  of  the  Prairie  -     119 

'*       X. — The  Smugglers'  Trail     -  •  135 

"        XI.— The  Glory  of  His  Fighting  -         -      148 


4  CONTENTS 

BOOK  IV 

MISS  GODFREY'S  FATHER 

PAGB 

CHAPTER  XII. — "My  Dear  Daddy"                     -  -     164 

"       XIII. — The  Coming  of  the  Superintendent  174 

"       XIV. — Sharpe  Hampton's  Sweetheart   -  190 

«'       XV. — A  Mighty  Suspicion       -  -          207 

"       XVI. — Night  on  the  Lone  Plantation    -  -     220 

BOOK  V 

BEYOND    THE    RIO    GRANDE 

CHAPTER  XVII. — Florito's  Fandango         -         -  -239 

"       XVIII.— The  Waif  of  the  Border     -  254 

"       XIX. — The  Spy  Company            -  -     266 

•«      XX. — Carmelita's  Return         -         -  -         282 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

BY    ARCHIE    GUNN 

Miss  Godfrey  at  Saratoga,  1844     -  Frontispiece 

"No  Gold  from  You"     -  -     Page  94 

A  Knight  of  the  Prairie  "  158 

Night  on  the  Lone  Plantation     ----«'  222 

The  Defense  of  the  Convent  wall   -  "  z86 


THE  SPY  COMPANY. 


BOOK   I. 
ESTRELLA  GODFREY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

SARATOGA   IN   EIGHTEEN    HUNDRED   AND   FORTY-FOUR. 

The  summer  night  was  falling  softly  upon  Saratoga 
when  that  great  watering  place  was  scarce  more  than 
a  village  embowered  in  trees ;  when  most  of  its  present 
magnificent  avenues  were  pretty  turnpike  roads  and 
some  only  bridle  paths;  Saratoga  when  those  who 
sought  its  summer  retreat  came  to  it  leisurely,  many  of 
them  by  stage-coach,  to  find  recreation  in  its  pleasant 
country  and  health  in  the  living  waters  of  its  sparkling 
springs;  the  Saratoga  of  1844,  before  half  a  dozen 
converging  railroads  had  made  it  part  of  our  rushing, 
bustling,  frantic,  modern  world ;  a  quiet,  serene  picnic 
place  only  disturbed — by  politics. 

Even  on  this  placid  evening  towards  the  end  of 
August,  though  the  lights  of  the  big  dining  room  of 
the  old  United  States  Hotel  illuminated  the  great 
fancy  dress  ball  of  the  season,  Democrats  and  Whigs 
clashed  as  hotly  upon  the  big  verandas  and  tree  shaded 
pleasance  as  they  did  at  political  joint  discussions  and 
torchlight  demonstrations  or  even  in  the  halls  of  Con 
gress  itself. 

(5) 


0  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

The  scene  was  one  of  great  beauty,  the  grounds  of 
the  hotel  being  made  brilliant  with  colored  lanterns 
and  the  ball-room  vivacious  by  shepherdesses,  Italian 
peasant  girls,  vivandieres  and  "queens  of  the  night," 
who  chatted  coyly  with  courtiers,  knights  and  trou 
badours;  while  bad  imitations  of  Indians,  inspired  by 
brandy  smashes  and  mint  juleps  uttered  their  war 
whoops  in  the  bar-room  or  smoked  their  pipes  of  peace 
on  the  broad  verandas  with  equally  incompetent  rep 
resentatives  of  the  trappers  of  the  West  and  voyageurs 
of  Canada. 

Though  the  ladies  were  robed  as  queens,  fairies, 
sylphs  and  maids  of  honor,  and  were  supposed  to  ex 
emplify  every  clime  and  every  century  since  history 
began,  still  they  could  not  forget  they  were  American 
women,  and  their  usual  topics  of  conversation,  rides 
to  the  lake,  visits  to  the  Indian  encampments  and  even 
the  all-pervading  gossip  as  to  how  many  glasses  were 
drunk  by  each  individual  at  the  Congress  Spring  in 
the  morning,  were  sometimes  mixed  with  as  excited 
annexation  discussions  as  those  indulged  in  by  their 
cavaliers. 

For  the  hardy  band  of  pioneers,  settlers  and  some 
times  even  fugitives  from  justice  in  the  United  States 
that  had  gradually,  during  preceding  years,  drifted 
across  the  Louisiana  border  had  in  1836  achieved 
Texan  independence,  defeating  the  Mexican  forces 
under  Santa  Anna  in  the  pitched  battle  of  San  Jacinto, 
and  avenging  the  cruel  massacre  of  Goliad  and  the 
bloody  shambles  of  the  Alamo. 

For  eight  years,  though  recognized  by  France,  Eng 
land  and  Spain,  the  young  Republic  had  been  in 
a  quasi  state  of  war  with  its  mother  country,  Mexico, 
a  large  portion  of  its  plains  being  raided  over  by  al 
ternate  bands  of  ranchero  bandits  and  Comanche 
Indians, 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  7 

Under  these  circumstances,  Texas  was  in  1844  ap 
plying  for  annexation  to  the  United  States  and  ad 
mission  into  the  American  Union,  a  thing  the  Democ 
racy  under  Mr.  Polk  were  clamorous  for,  but  which 
was  bitterly  assailed  by  Whigs  and  other  Anti-Slavery 
advocates  as  leading  to  certain  war  with  Mexico  and 
the  additional  political  complication  of  immense  ter 
ritorial  extension  within  the  slave  belt. 

Two  ladies  seated  on  one  of  the  broad  balconies  of 
the  hotel  and  looking  in  at  the  brilliant  ball-room  em 
phasize  this. 

"Honor  bright,  did  you  really  drink  six  glasses 
of  Congress  water  this  morning,  my  dear  Mrs.  Per 
kins?"  whispers  Selina  Chauncey,  the  dashing  young 
wife  of  an  Alabama  Representative,  robed  as  the  Pom 
padour.  "I  was  only  able  to  absorb  three,  and  my 
maid  had  to  unlace  me  right  afterwards." 

This  confidence  is  interrupted  by  a  shiver  from 
Queen  Elizabeth,  who  on  ordinary  occasions  is  Mrs. 
Perkins,  the  spouse  of  a  Whig  Senator  from  Indiana. 
She  is  a  prim  matron  of  about  fifty,  and  half  shudders : 
"Did  you  ever !  If  that  awful  girl  isn't  bringing  poli 
tics  on  her  back  into  the  ball-room." 

"No,  Madame,  you  do  Miss  Godfrey  injustice,"  re 
plies  Selina  Chauncey,  stoutly.  "She  is  carrying  pa 
triotism,  not  politics,  upon  her  fair  shoulders.  What 
finer  idea  for  a  Texan  girl  than  to  depict  her  country 
men's  appeal  for  the  aid  of  their  cousins  of  the  United 
States  against  the  bully  Mexico." 

"Why,  I  did  not  know  Miss  Godfrey  was  a  Texan," 
says  Mrs.  Perkins ;  "she  came  here  from  New  York 
with  Mr. -Martin  and  his  family.  Clara  Martin  and 
she  are  like  sisters." 

"Oh,  mercy!  Ain't  you  aware  she  is  the  greatest 
heiress  in  Texas,  that  is,  if  her  father's,  old  Jim  God 
frey's  million  acres  of  bottom  land  in  that  country, 


8 


THE   SPY    COMPANY. 


which  is  being  harried  by  Mexican  bandits  and  Co- 
manche  Indians,  are  ever  healthy  to  live  in.  Estrella 
Larue  Godfrey  is  Texan  to  the  backbone !" 

"And  has  got  plenty  of  frontier  boldness,  which  isn't 
nice  in  young  girls,"  criticises  the  Whig  lady.  "See,  the 
crowd  are  even  clapping  their  hands  at  her.  It's  dis 
graceful  !" 

"Why  shouldn't  they  applaud  her?"  retorts  Mrs. 
Chauncey,  "Miss  Godfrey  represents  the  State  of 
Texas  half  draped  in  the  American  flag,  which  will 
wholly  drape  it  when  we  Democrats,  this  autumn, 
have  elected  Mr.  Polk,  President;  Mr.  Clay  and  you 
Whigs  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding." 

"Never!  The  American  people  are  not  crazy.  Mr. 
Clay  will  be  triumphantly  returned!"  cries  the  other, 
stamping  her  foot,  and  a  political  riot  might  take 
place  right  on  the  balcony  of  the  hotel  between  these 
two  distinguished  ladies,  did  not  a  young  Arkansas 
gentleman,  who  has  just  strolled  out  of  the  bar-room, 
ejaculate  enthusiastically:  "Cock  a  doodle  for  Miss 
Texas!"  and  a  young  American  dandy,  who  has  just 
returned  from  European  travel,  ask  laughingly : 
"What  is  Texas?" 

At  this  the  two  political  ladies  forget  their  dispute 
in  a  burst  of  laughter,  especially  as  old  Jupiter  Per 
kins,  the  Whig  war  horse  from  Indiana,  saunters  up 
about  this  time,  taps  his  wife  playfully  .upon  the 
shoulder  and  says :  "What,  Sally,  you  and  Selina  quar 
reling  again  ?"  Then  adjusting  his  spectacles  he  adds  : 
"Over  that  young  lady,  I  presume.  She  carries  with 
her  the  charm  of  beauty  and  the  exquisite  womanhood 
of  America,  and  looks  mighty  well  in  the  star  spangled 
banner;  but  she's  too  young  to  be  dragged  into  poli 
tics.  I  think  I'll  go  up  and  get  introduced  to  the 
Republic  of  Texas." 

"Yes,  but  don't  you  let  her  beguile  you  to  vote  for 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  9 

the  Mexican  War,"  whispers  his  wife.  "She's  so  beau 
tiful,  she  may  make  a  fool  of  you,  Jupiter." 

This  might  easily  be  true,  for  Saratoga  has  rarely 
seen  a  prettier  picture  than  was  made  that  evening 
by  Miss  Estrella  Larue  Godfrey  under  the  brilliant 
lights  of  the  United  States  ball-room. 

The  girl  is  in  the  first  budding  of  young  woman 
hood.  Her  figure,  not  as  yet  completely  developed,  is 
perhaps  too  slight  for  perfect  beauty,  but  gives  prom 
ise  of  glorious  maturity.  Her  patrician  features  would 
be  strangely  firm,  for  one  so  young,  did  not  the  mod 
esty  of  her  eyes  make  her  face  seem  very  soft  and 
feminine.  Embarrassed  by  the  gaze  of  so  many,  for 
she  is  attracting  almost  universal  attention,  the  shrink 
ing  diffidence  of  her  pose  and  movements  gives  al 
most  ^pathos  to  her  graceful  figure. 

Her  fancy  costume  is  that  of  the  young  Republic 
of  Texas,  a  wreath  of  myrtles  upon  her  brown  hair, 
a  single  star  of  blue  upon  the  white  satin  corsage  of 
her  robe,  but  over  this  a  banner  of  the  United  States 
of  the  finest  silken  gauze,  crossing  her  white  shoulders, 
drapes  her  nascent  bosom  like  a  sash,  and  girdled 
about  her  lithe  waist  falls  over  a  floating  white  skirt 
of  shining  satin. 

It  is  as  if  the  maid  were  the  little  Republic  of  Texas 
appealing  for  the  protection  of  the  powerful  Republic 
whose  inhabitants  are  of  the  same  blood  and  same 
family  against  her  tyrant  Mexico. 

Blazoned  upon  the  front  of  the  draping  skirt  is 
"Remember  the  Alamo !"  words  that  even  to-day  make 
the  Yankee  heart  beat  faster  at  the  heroism  of  the 
American  race  as  shown  by  that  little  band,  whose 
names  still  cause  schoolboys'  hearts  to  thrill  when 
they  hear  of  Travis,  Bowie  and  Davy  Crockett. 

Blood  is  thicker  than  water,  and  many  who  have 
opposing  political  opinions  look  enthusiastically  at  the 


10  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

daughter  of  one  of  those  emigrants  that  wandered 
awmy  from  the  United  States  and  with  rifle  and  bowie 
knife  carved  out  a  little  nation  from  haughty  Mex 
ico,  watering  their  new  country  plenteously  with  their 
blood  upon  the  rich  bottom  lands  of  the  Brazos,  Trin 
ity  and  San  Antonio,  the  sun  dried  mesas  of  the  Llano 
Estacado  and  the  arid  wastes  of  the  Rio  Grande. 

Faltering  under  this  admiration,  which  is  probably 
much  greater  than  she  had  expected,  the  maiden  droops 
diffidently,  and  perhaps  would  retreat  from  the  bril 
liant  illumination  of  the  ball-room  to  the  more  dimly- 
lighted  verandas  did  not  at  this  moment  Clara  Mar 
tin,  a  dashing,  direct-speaking  New  York  girl  dressed 
as  a  vivandiere,  come  tripping  up  to  her,  and  swinging 
the  canteen  she  carries  over  her  shoulder,  cry  laugh 
ingly  :  "Take  a  swig  from  my  canteen  and  brace  up, 
Strella.  Here's  a  chance  to  make  a  hit  for  your  Lone 
Star  country.  Let  me  present  to  you  the  Honorable 
Jupiter  Perkins,  the  Whig  war  horse.  Convert  him, 
my  dear,  to  Texan  annexation !" 

Whereupon  the  bashful  look  flies  out  of  Miss  God 
frey's  face,  her  beautiful  brown  eyes  beam  like  the  em 
blem  of  her  native  land.  She  glances  at  the  Sena 
tor  from  Indiana,  and  proceeds  to  do  the  best  she 
can  with  the  old  Whig  war  horse,  saying  with  charm 
ing  naivete:  "Wouldn't  you  like  me  for  a  country 
woman,  Mr.  Perkins?" 

"Do  coons  like  possum  ?"  laughs  the  Senator,  adding 
to  this  proverb  of  the  Mississippi  Valley :  "Judging 
by  the  looks  of  the  boys  about  you,  I  imagine  you  can 
become  a  citizeness  of  the  United  States,  Miss  Godfrey, 
as  soon  as  a  parson  can  be  procured  and  without  the 
annexation  of  the  State  of  Texas." 

Though  the  girl  blushes  painfully,  she  cries  deter 
minedly :  "A  flank  attack  is  not  fair,  Mr.  Senator," 
and  inspired  by  the  thoughts  of  her  distant  country, 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  II 

this  eleve  in  diplomacy  dares  to  assault  the  politic*  of 
the  veteran  statesman;  of  course  without  effect.  CDld 
Jupe  Perkins  has  not  been  thirty  years  a  dyed-in- 
the-wool  Whig  of  the  Clay- Webster  stripe,  to  be  con 
verted  by  two  pretty  lips,  though  the  animation  of  the 
interview  adds  the  vivacity  of  many  changing  emotions 
to  the  exquisite  features  of  the  young  proselyter. 

Finally  the  veteran  politician,  growing  perhaps  tired 
of  being  almost  lectured  by  this  adolescent  Hypatia, 
answers  her  in  the  pleasant  condescension  of  age  for 
youth.  "My  dear  child,  permit  me  to  tell  you  that  like 
most  Democrats  you  are  all  abroad  on  the  subject  of 
slave  extension,  upon  which  you  are  making  a  very 
pretty  stump  speech." 

"Child !  I  am  eighteen !"  cries  the  girl,  indignantly. 
"Know  nothing  of  the  subject?  I  was  born  in  Texas, 
sir!" 

"Yes,  born  in  Texas,  but  sent  from  there  when  al 
most  a  baby,  I  believe.  Your  friend  of  friends,  that 
pert  little  vivandiere,  Clara  Martin,  before  she  intro 
duced  me  to  you,  let  that  cat  out  of  the  bag.  Miss 
Yancy's  Boarding  School  on  West  Eighth  Street,  I 
reckon  also,  isn't  exactly  the  place  to  study  one  of 
the  greatest  political  questions  of  the  age.  If  Mr. 
Polk  and  Mr.  Calhoun  couldn't  convert  me,  I  hardly 

think  you  can,  though "  The  Senator  palliates  his 

remark  by  adding:  "You  talk  much  prettier  than  old 
James  Knox  P.  of  North  Carolina." 

"You're  right !  I  was  sent  from  Texas  to  save  me 
from  the  dangers  of  its  wild  life  after  my  dear  little 
sister  had  been  stolen  by  Indians  or  bandits,"  answers 
Miss  Godfrey,  her  bright  face  growing  strangely  sad. 
"That's  what  was  told  me  by  my  mother,  who  came 
with  me,  and  died  here  when  I  was  a  very  little  girl, 
leaving  me  alone,  save  for  the  kindness  of  Clara  Martin 
and  her  father,  for  my  father  has  not  been  able  to  visit 


12  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

me.  He  has  been  fighting  in  the  War  of  Texan  In 
dependence,  and  since  then  has  been  defending  his 
property  against  the  raids  of  partisans,  bandits  and 
Comanches.  You're  right,  Mr.  Perkins,  I  know  very 
little  of  the  subject  except  from  my  dear  father's  fet 
ters  to  a  child  who  petitions  you  to  induce  your  great 
country  to  take  such  action  as  will  permit  him  to  recall 
his  daughter  to  his  roof-tree  protected  by  a  flag  suffi 
ciently  powerful  to  make  his  home  safe  both  from 
Mexican  forays  and  Indian  ravages." 

This  speech,  made  pathetic  by  a  bewitching  face 
whose  eyes  are  tearily  beseeching,  strangely  affects  the 
old  Whig  war  horse.  He  mutters  huskily  :  "You  have 
said  more  to  me  in  the  last  few  words,  my  dear  young 
lady,  than  any  other  Democratic  stump  speaker  in 
the  country.  I  will  consider  your  appeal." 

But  even  as  Estrella  gives  him  a  bright,  grateful 
glance,  the  veteran  of  New  World  affairs  starts,  gazes 
searchingly  at  her,  and  becomes  strangely  moved  and 
interested.  His  eyes  are  fixed  upon  a  plain  circlet  of 
gold  that  is  pinned  upon  the  corsage  of  her  dress. 

Noting  his  glance,  she  says :  "Oh,  you  are  gazing 
at  the  golden  circle !  Strange,  several  gentlemen  have 
been  interested  in  it  this  evening.  What  makes  you  re 
gard  so  curiously  a  bauble  which  my  mother  brought 
with  her  from  Texas,  and  told  me  my  father  used  to 
wear?  It  is  the  only  thing  I  have  to  remember  him 
by." 

"My  dear  child,"  says  the  veteran  statesman,  quite 
moved,  "to  explain  what  that  means  would  be  beyond 
my  power,  because  I  only  guess  at  it  myself.  There 
fore  I  shall  not  cloud  your  bright  young  brow  with  con 
jectures.  What  you  want  to  do  this  evening  is  to  give 
the  boys  a  chance  and  turn  your  attention  to  love,  at 
which  you'll  be  even  cuter  than  politics !" 

At  this  suggestion,  the  young  lady  blushes  vividly; 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  13 

then  a  troubled  look  comes  upon  her  innocent  features, 
she  hangs  her  head. 

"Hello !  By  the  confusion  on  your  face,  you've  been 
at  it  already !"  grins  the  Solon. 

This  insinuation  Miss  Estrella,  with  quick  feminine 
tact  and  precocious  astuteness,  parries  by  opening  her 
bright  eyes  and  saying  naively :  "Law,  Senator  Per 
kins,  I  haven't  left  boarding  school !  I  am  only  eigh 
teen." 

"Humph,  a  girl  of  your  eyes  can  do  a  good  deal  of 
damage  at  that  age,"  chuckles  the  Western  war  horse. 
But  getting  away  from  the  Texan  Hypatia,  he  mutters 
to  himself  grimly :  "Her  dad  went  to  Texas  wearing 
one  of  those  tarnation  golden  circles.  By  the  Etarnal, 
is  the  curse  started  by  the  ambition  of  that  schemer 
Aaron  Burr  never  to  be  lifted  from  us  ?" 

Sitting  upon  the  balcony  of  the  hotel,  the  Western 
statesman  goes  into  a  meditation,  refusing  glumly  all 
invitations  to  liquor  from  kindred  statesmen  in  so  ab 
stracted  and  morose  a  manner  that  Quigley  of  Illinois 
whispers  to  Buncombe  of  Ohio :  "I  wonder  if  the 
great  Perkins  is  afraid  of  losing  his  seat  in  the  Senate 
at  the  coming  general  election." 

"Can't  tell,"  remarks  Congressman  Buncombe.  "It's 
going  to  be  a  tarnation  hard  fight  and  Polk  may  become 
President  on  this  Texas  enthusiasm.  'Remember  the 
Alamo'  is  getting  to  be  a  war  cry  that  stampedes  Whigs 
during  this  campaign  as  it  did  Greasers  down  at 
San  Jacinto.  Just  look  at  that  girl  there  in  the  ball 
room.  With  that  tarnation  catchy  political  riggin'  and 
those  languishing  bright  eyes  of  hers,  she'd  be  as  good 
as  a  thousand  votes  to  the  Democratic  ticket  if  the 
polls  were  open  to-morrow  at  Saratoga.  Do  you  see 
her?  Look  at  the  young  fellows  prancing  about  her 
like  bears  round  honey." 

"Some  of  them  will  get  bee's  stings  from  her  bright 


14  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

eyes  if  they  don't  hold  their  horses,"  guffaws  Quigley, 
who  represents  the  First  Congressional  District  of 
Illinois  and  is  considered  rather  a  wag  in  the  House. 

Quigley  is  pretty  near  right  in  his  divination.  Mr. 
Senator  Perkins  has  shot  very  close  to  the  bull's-eye 
when  he  twitted  Miss  Estrella  Larue  Godfrey  as  to  her 
love  affairs.  Her  eighteen-year-old  eyes  have  done  al 
ready  considerable  damage  to  half  a  score  of  admirers, 
but  more  especially  to  young  Charley  Pelham  of  New 
York,  just  graduated  from  West  Point  and  gazetted 
into  the  Second  Dragoons,  and  Mr.  Jasper  Carew 
Moncton,  who  is  reputed  at  "The  Springs"  to  be  a 
Louisiana  planter. 

Accompanied  by  his  mother,  who  dotes  upon  him,  a 
beautiful  lady  of  middle  age,  the  first  of  these  is  in 
Saratoga  enjoying  his  two  months'  leave  before  enter 
ing  active  duty.  The  second,  Mr.  Moncton,  has  ap 
parently  no  object  except  pleasure  at  the  Springs. 

Mr.  Pelham  being  engaged  in  escorting  his  mother 
to  her  room  and  bidding  her  a  tender  good  night,  has 
left  the  field,  for  the  moment,  open  to  his  rival,  and 
Jasper  Moncton  is  taking  advantage  of  it. 

Dressed  in  the  clawhammer  coat  of  deep  rolled 
collar,  embossed  velvet  vest,  tight  fitting  trousers 
spread  out  over  patent  leather  pumps,  and  with  an 
elaborate  black  stock,  which  indicate  the  extreme  of 
a  beau's  evening  costume  of  that  period,  this  gentle 
man,  who  is  about  thirty  years  of  age,  is  now  at  Miss 
Godfrey's  side. 

He  has  an  active,  well  proportioned  figure  and  a 
bearing  marked  by  a  quick  confidence  and  self-asser 
tion.  His  face  would  be  prepossessing  and  his  dark 
eyes  engaging,  were  it  not  for  their  extraordinary 
alertness,  his  glances  at  times  being  so  rapid  that  their 
expression  can  scarcely  be  distinguished.  These  at 
present,  however,  are  fixed  upon  Miss  Godfrey.  The 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  15 

gentleman's  manner  is  unusually  suave,  yet  extremely 
confident,  and  his  eager  attentions  to  Estrella  rather 
pleasing  to  the  vanity  of  one  who  is  still  a  school  girl. 

Mr.  Moncton's  devotion  to  the  object  of  his  pursuit 
for  the  past  few  weeks  has  been  so  marked  that  the 
more  casual  admirers  about  Miss  Godfrey  this  evening, 
concluding  that  she  favors  him  over  the  common  herd, 
have  gradually  left  them  to  their  own  society.  Relieved 
of  witnesses,  a  curious  possession  has  entered  the 
gentleman's  bearing.  Even  very  young  girls  have  in 
stinct  in  these  matters,  and  Moncton's  passion  is  now 
sufficiently  marked  to  cause  Estrella  to  grow  nervous 
and  more  distant  in  her  manner. 

But  Jasper  Moncton  is  not  to  be  easily  repulsed  or 
shaken  off  by  one  he  deems  scarce  more  than  a  child. 
Though  he  has  in  their  two  months'  acquaintance  re 
ceived  no  real  encouragement  from  Miss  Estrella  God 
frey,  save  the  bright  glances  of  happy  maidenhood,  he 
is  stimulated  perhaps  more  by  her  indifference  than  he 
would  be  by  her  complaisance.  And  in  the  last  few 
days  the  gentleman  has  grown  very  jealous  of  her. 

Young  Charley  Pelham,  with  his  dashing  military 
West  Point  air,  boyish  enthusiasm  and  open  heart,  has 
gazed  so  ardently  with  his  brilliant  eyes  that  Moncton 
fears  that  if  he  does  not  speak  now,  the  ardent  officer 
will  have  his  say  to  beauty  before  him. 

Therefore  with  considerable  tact  and  a  certain  easy, 
take-it- for-granted  manner,  he  shortly  succeeds  in 
leading  the  young  heiress  of  Texas  lands  to  a  secluded 
nook  on  the  big  piazza  which  a  lot  of  shrubbery  and 
flag  decorations  have  cut  off  from  the  better  lighted 
part  of  the  hotel,  making  just  the  sort  of  temple  a  man 
can  worship  his  goddess  in — if  she  will  let  him. 

Tired  with  her  political  propaganda,  Miss  Godfrey 
sinks  rather  languidly  into  a  seat ;  then  delights  her  ad 
mirer  by  murmuring :  "T  am  glad  converting  old  Sen- 


1 6  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

ator  Perkins  is  over.  From  now  on  I  am  going  to  for 
get  politics  and  have  a  pleasant  evening." 

"Thank  you,"  says  the  gentleman  very  ardently. 
Encouraged  by  the  compliment,  though  the  girl  means 
nothing  by  it,  he  seats  himself  by  her  side  and  begins  a 
tale  that  always  frightens  a  true  daughter  of  Eve  when 
she  for  the  first  time  in  her  young  life  hears  it.  Aside 
from  a  maid's  bashfulness,  the  primal  knowledge  that 
she  has  a  man's  life  in  her  keeping,  a  man's  career  in  her 
hand  to  take  or  to  throw  away,  awes  any  thinking  de 
butante  in  the  mysteries  of  Venus's  Temple,  and  Miss 
Estrella  Godfrey  is  much  frightened.  The  impetuous 
fervor  of  her  suitor  at  first  stuns  her  as  well  as  alarms 
her.  She  is  so  dazed  she  has  nearly  been  kissed  and 
called  his  own  before  she  recovers  sentiency  sufficient 
to  shrink  from  his  clasp  and  say :  "Stop !  You — 
you  have  misunderstood  my  silence." 

"Misunderstood  you?"  mutters  Moncton  as  if 
stunned  himself.  "No,  no,  I  cannot  have  misunder 
stood  you.  In  the  last  few  blessed  weeks,  you  have 
permitted  me  to  ride  with  you  so  often — you  have " 

"But  always  with  Clara  cantering  along  on  the  other 
side  of  me,"  stammers  the  neophyte  in  flirtation. 

"You  have  looked  upon  me." 

"But  only  as  a  friend.  Besides,"  the  maid  adds  dis 
ingenuously,  "Mr.  Martin  would  never  permit  my  be 
ing  wooed  without  the  consent  of  my  father." 

But  to  her  astonishment,  this  mention  of  her  father 
adds  to  Moncton's  confidence.  Jasper  says  in  easy 
assertion :  "Your  father,  I  am  certain,  were  he  here, 
would  add  his  commands  to  my  entreaties." 

"Impossible !"  cries  Miss  Godfrey,  astounded.  "My 
father  is  in  Texas,  at  the  other  end  of  the  world.  Be 
sides,  he  would  never  coerce  me  on  such  a  subject, 
though  I  never  could  say  yes  without  his  blessing." 

Noting  that  assurance  does  not  aid  his  suit,  Mr. 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  I? 

Moncton  pleads  earnestly :  '  'You  cannot  mean  to  re 
fuse  a  love  like  mine." 

"But  I  do  mean  to  refuse  it."  Then  the  girl  whis 
pers  penitently:  "Forgive  me,  I  don't  wish  to  be 
harsh  in  my  rejection,  but  I'm  only  a  school-girl.  1 
have  never  been  proposed  to  before.  Take  pity  on  me 
— don't  be  angry  with  me." 

"Angry  with  you  ?"  Hope  flies  again  into  the  man's 
eyes.  "Angry  with  you?  That's  impossible,  Estrella." 

Again  the  moustache  is  coming  closer  to  the  tempt 
ing  lips.  The  gentleman's  arm  is  almost  about  the 
slight  waist,  when  womanhood  triumphs  over  imma 
turity,  and  the  girl  desperately  pulls  herself  from  him 
and  says  sternly:  "Don't  mistake  kindness  for  any 
thing  else,  Sir.  If  I  must  make  it  plain  to  you,  I — I 
do  not  love  you." 

"You — you  love  another?"  Moncton's  eyes  have 
grown  sinster,  even  baneful. 

"Oh,  no,"  sighs  the  interrogated  one,  "I — I  hope  not 
—I " 

"Ah,  then  you  do  love  another !" 

"I — I  don't  know  anything  about  it,"  answers  Miss 
Godfrey  petulantly.  She  is  scarce  more  than  a  child, 
and  this  dominant  man's  persistency  annoys  her.  "But 
I  tell  you  I  can  never  love  you." 

"But  you  will  marry  me !"  answers  the  wooer  com- 
mandingly;  the  plain  golden  circle  pinned  upon  the 
damsel's  bosom  seeming  to  lend  confidence  to  his 
tones.  "By  that  little  sign  upon  your  breast  which  you 
do  not  understand  but  I  do,  I  tell  you  I  shall  make  the 
winning  of  you  the  object  of  my  life.  My  child,  you 
are  as  surely  mine  as  if  the  priest  had  said  man  and 
wife  to  you  and  me !"  His  blazing  eyes  enforce  his  fer 
vid  words. 

Under  the  possessive  passion  of  his  glances,  the  girl' 


1 8  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

grows  crimson  to  her  shoulders  ?nd  cries  indignantly : 
"When  you  look  at  me  like  that,  I — I  hate  you !'' 

Stung  by  her  words  and  made  carelessly  vindictive 
by  her  scorn,  he  retorts  sneeringly  yet  arrogantly : 
"You  are  a  little  crude  yet.  I  am  in  no  hurry.  A  year 
or  two  and  you  will  be  the  riper  cherry  for  the  pluck 
ing,  little  one.  Good-bye!  Every  time  you  think  of 
your  father,  remember  you  are  as  surely  mine  as  if  you 
had  said  yes  instead  of  no.  Look  on  the  golden  circle 
pinned  upon  your  corsage  and  know  it  is  my  wedding 
ring!" 

"No,  no,  anything  but  that!"  almost  screams  the 
predicted  bride,  made  frantic  by  his  sneering  and  as 
tounding  words;  but  he,  not  answering  her,  saunters 
away  in  affected  nonchalance,  carelessly  pausing  as  he 
passes  through  the  potted  palm  trees  to  light  a  cigar. 

Alone,  Miss  Godfrey  takes  three  short  breaths  and 
gasps  mentally:  "Thank  God,  this  dastard's  anger 
unmasked  him.  And  he  has  the  assurance  to  say  my 
father  would  support  his  suit!"  she  jeers.  "Half  an 
hour  ago  I  thought  him  a  passingly  pleasant  gentle 
man,  but  was  indifferent  to  him.  Now  I  know  Mr. 
Moncton,  I  despise  him,  I  loathe  him.  I  could  never 
love  him."  Agitated  by  both  rage  and  shame,  she 
sinks  into  a  seat  again,  communes  tremblingly  with  her 
fair  self,  and  finally  enunciates  to  herself  this  curious 
proposition :  "Strange,  the  knowledge  given  me  by 
this  wretch's  audacious  assault  not  only  on  my  heart 
but  on  my  very  modesty  has  made  me  doubt  whether  I 
could  love  any  man." 

Her  meditations  are  broken  in  upon  by  a  young, 
liquid  but  savage  feminine  voice  which  says  in  un 
compromising  familiarity :  "Strella,  you  wretch,  come 
with  me  to  papa  at  once.  You  have  got  me  in  an 
awful  scrape.  We  are  both  to  be  sent  back  to  boarding 
school  to-morrow." 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  1 9 

Miss  Clara  Martin  is  standing  beside  her,  looking  as 
distressed  as  if  she  were  a  real  vivandiere  of  the  grand 
army  of  Napoleon  reflecting  on  Waterloo. 

"How  have  I  got  you  into  a  scrape,  Clara,  dear?" 
asks  Miss  Godfrey  sweetly. 

"How?  By  permitting  the  attentions  of  that  hor 
rible  Mr.  Moncton.  Pa  has  found  out  about  him; 
says  he  is  nothing  more  than  a  Mississippi  River 
gambler.  And  then  going  into  seclusion  and  sitting 
with  him  here  till  half  the  women  in  the  hotel  are  tear 
ing  you  in  pieces  with  their  tongues." 

"You  are  right!  I  do  deserve  to  be  sent  back  to 
boarding  school  for  letting  that  wretch  tell  me  whether 
I  like  or  no  that  he  will  marry  me,"  shudders  the  ac 
cused  one  impulsively. 

"Yes,  but  you're  not  right  in  getting  me  sent  back 
also  when  I  was  having  such  a  lovely  time.  Good 
heavens !  How  shall  I  tell  poor  Jack  Boulder  ?  He  and 
I  were  going  to  have  a  tete-a-tete  picnic  out  on  the 
lake  to-morrow,"  mutters  Clara.  "Anyway,  you're 
punished  also.  Young  fiery  eyed  Pelham  of  the 
Dragoons  won't  have  a  chance  to  make  love  to  you  any 
more." 

"I  hope  he  won't,"  says  Estrella  sadly.  "I  hope  no 
man  will,  for  now  I  know  I  shall  never  love  any  man." 

At  this  pessimistic  declaration,  Miss  Clara  Martin, 
who  is  a  dashing  brunette  of  the  most  vivacious  type, 
slightly  more  matured  than  her  friend,  laughs : 
"Idiot!  When  you  love,  you  will  be  spoonier  than  I 
can  be ;"  then  cries :  "But  come  on,  Pa  has  given  his 
orders.  Zelma  has  half  packed  your  trunks  already 
and  Elise  is  now  at  work  on  mine,"  adding  philosophi 
cally  :  "Anyway,  summer  is  nearly  over,  and  if  I  had 
stayed  here  much  longer,  that  crazy  Jack  Boulder 
would  have  made  a  fool  of  either  himself  or  me." 
With  this.  Miss  Martin  goes  away  humming  quite 
cheerfully  "Wait  for  the  Wagon." 


2O  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

Miss  Godfrey  would  follow  her  chum  to  her 
guardian,  did  not  a  handsome  young  fellow  in  accurate 
evening  dress  but  with  that  indescribable  set  up  and 
military  bearing  that  West  Point  always  gives  to  its 
graduates  stop  her  for  a  few  hurried  words.  "I  was 
detained  by  my  mother,  who  is  not  very  well  this  even 
ing,  Miss  Estrella,"  he  says  quite  tenderly  and  almost 
apologetically.  "But  now " 

"Now  I  am  going  to  pack  my  trunks,"  answers  the 
young  lady,  slightly  agitated  at  his  fervid  eyes.  To 
refuse  two  men  in  one  evening  would  be  too  much  for 
her  inexperienced  nerves,  and  Charley  Pelham  is  a 
gentleman  she  not  only  respects  but  likes  very  much. 

"Pack  your  trunks?"  falters  the  young  man,  as  if 
he  does  not  understand. 

"Yes,  I  am  going  to  be  sent  back  to  school  to-mor 
row.  A  big  dragoon  like  you  fighting  Indians  on  the 
plains  will  soon  forget  a  fledgling,  and  from  now  on  I 
have  got  to  think  of  French,  music  and  grammar,  or 
Miss  Yancy  will  haul  me  over  the  coals." 

Cadet  hops  and  West  Point  flirtations  have  given 
Charley  Pelham  a  fairly  shrewd  insight  into  the  emo 
tions  and  characteristics  of  girlhood.  He  divines  what 
a  terrible  effort  it  must  be  for  sweet  eighteen  to  dub 
herself  a  child.  He  appreciates  the  sacrifice  the  pretty 
lips  are  making  to  prevent  his  speaking  words  that  will 
call  for  a  woman's  answer.  He  looks  at  her  piercingly 
for  a  moment;  then  sighs:  "I — I  fear  I  understand 
yon.  Good-bye!"  next  says  hoarsely:  "But  just  one 
souvenir  of  a  sweet  two  months."  Before  she  can  stay 
him  he  has  torn  a  portion  of  the  American  flag  from 
her  costume. 

"Some  day  I  will  bring  this  back  to  you;  some  day 
when  you  are  a  woman,"  he  mutters,  and  kisses  the 
token. 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  21 

Just  for  one  moment  she  turns  and  whispers :  "But 
forgive  the  child !"  then  rlits  from  him. 

Gazing  after  her  till  her  graceful  figure  grows  dim  in 
the  vista  of  the  great  veranda  whose  lights  are  still 
shining  brilliantly  on  fair  women  and  brave  men,  Pel- 
ham  puts  his  hand  to  his  heart  and  mutters  to  himself : 
"Child  as  she  is,  had  she  but  loved  me,  she  would  have 
cried  with  every  breath  to  me:  'Woman!  Woman! 
WOMAN  !' " 

Then  the  gay  scene  seems  very  gloomy  to  the 
young  West  Pointer,  and  the  sweet  music  of  the  Siren 
Waltzes  played  by  the  Boston  Orchestra  appears  very 
poor  melody  and  full  of  discords. 

As  for  the  man  whose  audacious  prophecy  and  un 
controlled  passion  has  brought  about  not  only  his  own 
undoing  but  his  rival's;  he  had  long  ago  wandered 
away  and  joined  some  friends  in  the  bar-room.  Drink 
ing  did  not  make  him  forget,  and  smoking  moodily 
during  the  long  summer  night,  Jasper  Moncton  held 
consultation  with  himself.  Once  he  mentally  exclaims  : 
"I  was  a  little  foolish  to  let  my  temper  run  away  with 
me ;  but  just  as  sure  as  no  horse  can  trot  in  2  :2O,*  that 
little  saucy  puss  shall  call  me  husband  and  fawn  upon 
me  for  a  caress.  What  Jasper  Moncton  wants,  he 
has!" 

The  charming  girl's  piquant  rejection  of  this  sport 
ing  man  of  the  South  and  West,  both  sections  rather 
barbaric  in  the  early  forties,  makes  him  desire  her  all 
the  more;  not  that  Jasper  Moncton  loves  Estrella 
Godfrey,  but  he  is  determined  to  have  the  butter 
fly  that  he  is  chasing.  Miss  Godfrey's  Texas  lands 
will  be  worth  a  lot  of  money  when  the  flag  of  the 
United  States  floats  over  them.  Glancing  at  a  little  in- 

*At  that  time  Flora  Temple  had  not  trotted  her  mile  in 
2:10-^,  and  the  trotting  record  of  2:20  was  regarded  an  impos 
sibility. — Editor. 


22  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

signia  he  wears  upon  his  breast,  he  thinks :  "As 
Knight  of  the  Golden  Circle,  I  know  this  will  come  very 
soon."  For  his  information  as  an  officer  of  that  mys 
terious  yet  baneful  society,  whose  branches  spread  out 
from  New  Orleans  over  the  South  and  West*  tells  him 


*  This  mysterious  society,  "The  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Circle,"  was  supposed  by  many  to  have  been  an  off-shoot  from 
the  secret  organization  brought  together  by  Aaron  Burr, 
which  resulted  in  the  trial  of  that  ambitious  politician  for 
treason  in  1807. 

Though  known  to  many,  it  was  whispered  of  by  few.  It 
was  supposed  to  be  devoted  not  only  to  the  extension  of  slav 
ery,  but  to  the  forming  of  an  immense  slave  empire  that 
should  include  the  Isles  of  the  West  Indies  and  the  vast  coun 
try  of  the  Montezumas. 

Many  of  the  efforts  at  slave  territorial  extension  came  from 
this  powerful  but  silent  organization.  A  great  many  of  the 
young  drifting  adventurers  of  the  United  States  inspired  or 
secretly  directed  by  it  went  to  Texas  with  the  object  of  an 
nexing  not  only  that  state  but  all  of  the  Mexican  Confederacy. 
At  the  triumphant  close  of  the  Mexican  war,  when  this  coun 
try  had  obtained  from  its  defeated  opponent  not  only  Texas 
but  California,  Utah,  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  parts  of 
Colorado  and  Nevada,  it  was  predicted  that  the  next  military 
advance  would  add  every  foot  of  Mexican  soil  to  the  United 
States;  of  course,  as  slave  states. 

The  Golden  Circle  inspired  the  filibustering  expeditions  of 
Walker  in  1856  to  Nicaragua;  likewise  the  tragic  attempt 
upon  Sonora  made  by  Californians ;  also  the  invasions 
in  1848,  '50  and  '51,  of  Narisse  Lopez  into  Cuba. 

It  flourished  from  1840  to  1860  like  the  Upas  tree,  giving 
out  an  atmosphere  baneful  yet  intangible,  and  by  its  occult 
influence  had  doubtless  much  to  do  with  the  action  of  many 
politicians  which  brought  about  the  war  between  the  States 
and  watered  this  land  with  the  blood  of  myriads  of  brave  men. 

But  little  has  been  written  about  the  powerful  but  mysteri 
ous  association :  an  innate  dread  of  discussing  it  seemed  to 
linger  over  the  United  States  until  it  and  its  barbaric  object 
and  ambitious  hopes  died  at  Gettysburg  when  Picket's  im 
mortal  charge  failed,  and  the  starry  banner  of  the  Confederate 
States  began  to  fade. — Editor. 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  23 

that  the  United  States  is  upon  the  eve  of  one  of  its 
grand  territorial  grabs,  such  as  take  place  every  sec 
ond  generation,  when  the  great  Yankee  nation 
takes  another  portion  of  the  world  into  its  embrace  and 
Uncle  Sam  tosses  a  few  more  stars  into  the  blue  firma 
ment  of  its  flag  and  makes  a  few  more  sovereign  states 
to  add  to  this  great  American  Commonwealth. 

Turning  this  over  in  his  mind,  Jasper  Moncton  re 
marks  to  himself  half  laughingly:  "Strella's  as 
skittish  as  a  filly  when  she  first  feels  the  rope.  Reckon 
the  haughty  little  beauty  would  have  been  more  -scared 
if  she  guessed  why  I  came  up  North.  Then  a  blazing 
triumph  lights  up  his  dark  eyes  as  he  mutters  these 
remarkable  words  :  "Calculate  this  high  society  around 
here  makes  her  too  bumptious  to  look  at  a  plain  river- 
boat  sporting  man.  Texas  is  my  gaming-table!" 


CHAPTER   II. 

WAR  WITH   MEXICO. 

Early  in  1846,  eighteen  months  after  Miss  Godfrey's 
Saratoga  adventure,  old  Alexander  Martin,  who  has 
her  under  his  wing,  addresses  his  charge  one  brisk 
February  day  in  the  library  of  his  handsome  New 
York  house  in  University  Place.  This  gentleman  is 
the  head  of  Martin,  Best  &  Co.,  very  prominent  com 
mission  merchants  of  South  Street  and  factors  for 
Southern  planters,  the  firm  doing  a  large  business  in 
the  sugar  of  Louisiana,  the  cotton  of  the  Gulf  States, 
the  tar  and  turpentine  of  North  Carolina,  as  well  as 
business  with  the  West  Indies,  Vera  Cruz  and  Mexico, 
and  the  little  budding  seaport  of  Galveston.  Texas, 
where  they  have  a  small  branch  office.  There  is  a 


24  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

rather  sad  glint  in  his  grim,  determined,  commercial 
eyes  as  he  says :  "I  might  as  well  break  the  news  and 
get  over  with  it  'Strella.  I  have  a  letter  from  your 
father  in  which  he  asks  me  to  send  you  to  Texas." 

"Thank  God,  at  last  I  shall  see  my  father !"  The 
girl's  voice  rings  out  true,  silvery,  hopeful.  "Ever 
since  I  left  school  six  ir.onths  ago  I  have  been  waiting, 
hoping,  praying  for  his  permission  to  join  him." 

"Humph,  but  you  do  not  know  exactly  what  Texas 
is,  my  dear,"  remarks  the  old  merchant.  "Even  now, 
though  the  United  States  has  taken  it  under  its  wing, 
it  is  a  debatable  land  and  very  rough  and  tough  people 
are*  debating  about  it.  A  number  of  its  settlers,  as 
your  mother  must  have  told  you,  were  fugitives  from 
justice  both  of  the  United  States  and  Mexico.  There 
fore  it  has  a  good  many  lawless  people  still  among  its 
inhabitants.  You  do  not  know  Texas,  my  child." 

"Don't  I  ?"  cries  the  young  lady,  the  ringing  tones  of 
her  voice  and  the  flashing  of  her  eyes  in  charming  con 
trast  with  the  delicate  lineaments  of  her  patrician  face 
and  the  lightness  of  her  graceful  figure.  "I  know  it 
is  the  country  of  the  dead  heroes  of  the  Alamo  and 
Goliad  and  the  live  ones  of  San  Jacinto.  I  know  it 
is  the  country  my  dear  father  fought  and  bled  for  under 
old  Sam  Houston ;  the  country  I  was  born  in ;  my 
country,  though  I  cannot  remember  it." 

"Very  well,"  responds  the  veteran  of  commerce, 
shortly,  "when  will  you  be  ready  to  go?" 

"Now ;  to-morrow  ;  any  time !  The  sooner  the  bet 
ter  !"  Expectant  love  and  enthusiastic  .tenderness  dim 
the  girl's  bright  eyes;  she  murmurs:  "My  father. 
At  last,  I  shall  see  him  and  I  shall  know  him !" 

"Under  these  circumstances,"  replies  the  merchant, 
putting  his  hand  over  his  eyes  as  if  anxious  to  con 
ceal  the  sadness  of  parting  with  this  girl  he  has  had 
under  his  charge  since  the  death  of  her  mother,  some 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  25 

eight  years  before  this,  "you  had  better  tell  my  daugh- " 
ter  at  once,  so  that  you  and  Clara  can  get  your  farewell 
tears  over  as  soon  as  possible.  Make  the  arrangements 
and  do  the  shopping  I  presume  a  young  lady  of  New 
York  fashion  will  find  necessary  before  leav 
ing  for  a  half  barbarous  land.  I  presume  you  will 
have  a  long  visit  at  Mr.  Stewart's  marble  store,  and  this 
check  will  be  convenient  for  you." 

"Did  my  father  send  all  that  money  for  me?"  queries 
Miss  Godfrey,  gazing  at  the  piece  of  paper.  "Hasn't 
he  always  been  generous  to  the  child  whose  face  he 
cannot  remember,  to  the  girl  whose  eyes  might  look 
upon  him  and  not  know  him?"  This  she  a  moment 
after  contradicts  by  ejaculating:  "But  no,  I  am  sure 
some  instinct  would  tell  me  if  I  looked  on  his  dear 
face !" 

"Pish,  I'm  hardly  so  certain  of  that,"  dissents  old 
Martin,  who  is  seated  at  his  desk.  "You  have  no 
miniature  of  your  father,  not  even  one  of  these  new 
fangled  daguerreotypes." 

"Daguerreotypes  were  not  invented  when  I  was 
carried  away  from  Texas,  and  portrait  painters  would 
have  hardly  been  able  to  take  care  of  their  scalps  in  the 
land  my  mother  has  described  to  me.  Bowie  knives, 
rifles  and  pistols  were  more  in  vogue  than  artists' 
paint  brushes  or  pencils  in  the  valleys  of  the  Brazos, 
San  Antonio  and  Trinity.  You  have  never  seen  my 
father  either,  Mr.  Martin?"  continues  the  girl.  "As 
soon  as  I  see  him  I'll  write  you  a  good  long  description 
of  the  man  who  has  become  by  his  correspondence  your 
friend." 

"Humph,  yes !  Of  course,  I  have  never  seen  Jim 
Godfrey,"  replies  the  merchant,  "though  I  have  been 
his  factor  since  1836.  You  know  at  that  time  old 
John  Kissam  Horner,  who  was  in  the  Texas  trade,  was 
your  father's  agent,  tut  owing  to  commercial  troubles 


26  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

brought  about  by  the  Texan  revolution,  Horner  failed 
and  left  New  York.  Then  your  father  turned  his  ac 
count  over  to  me  by  a  letter  that  I  could  hardly  de 
cipher.  Though  he  writes  better  now,  his  correspond 
ence  is  generally  pretty  terse  and  to  the  point." 

"Oh,  yes,  I  know,"  assents  Estrella,  "when  poor 
papa's  hand  was  so  frightfully  injured  in  the  fight  at 
Rock  Springs  he  could  for  six  months  hardly  hold  a 
pen  in  it  at  all,  and  the  few  lines  he  could  send  my 
dear  mother  seemed  so  different.  Why,  even  she  could 
hardly  recognize  his  handwriting.  But  papa's  words 
were  just  as  loving,  even  when  wounded  nigh  unto 
death.  I  am  going  to  make  a  very  dutiful  daughter  to 
my  father  for  all  the  sacrifices  he  has  made  for  me, 
giving  me  plenty  of  money  when  money  must  have 
been  hard  to  obtain." 

"Well,  it's  hard  enough  for  him  to  get  now,  for 
the  troubles  of  Texas  are  not  entirely  over,  my  dear, 
and  it  is  that  which  makes  me  hesitate  about  sending 
you,"  mutters  the  man  of  affairs. 

"That  you  shall  not  do.  I  must  go.  I  will  go.  My 
father  is  growing  old.  He  needs  a  daughter's  hand !" 
cries  Estrella  excitedly. 

"And  you  do  not  hesitate  to  give  up  New  York 
gaiety  and  fashion?" 

"Not  a  bit,"  answers  the  girl,  self-devotion  in  her 
eyes.  "As  I  sat  at  the  opera  last  night  down  at  Castle 
Garden,  I  thought  of  the  frivolity  of  the  thing  and 
longed  to  be  able  to  do  what  I  consider  my  duty." 

"But  the  young  men  about  here,  the  gay  gallants 
who  ride  beside  you  each  day  up  Harlem  Lane ;  like 
wise  the  bucks  of  Bond  Street,  and  the  beaux  of 
Broadway  and  Washington  Square ;  how  about  them  ? 
Clara  has  confessed  to  me  that  they  are  very  engaging. 
And  with  your  face  and  figure!"  Martin  turns  his 
old  eyes  admiringly  over  the  exquisite  picture  the 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  «7 

young  lady  makes  as  she  stands  in  graceful  pose,  one 
white  hand  upon  a  chair  as  if  uncertain  whether  to 
stay  or  go,  and  notes  that  Miss  Godfrey  has  developed 
very  beautifully  in  the  last  few  months. 

In  addition  to  a  patrician  form,  whose  rounded  out 
lines  are  those  of  budding  womanhood,  the  young 
lady's  face  has  in  its  blossoming  maturity  become  full 
of  an  exquisite  soul  that  shines  through  her  bright  eyes 
right  gloriously.  She  is  dressed  in  the  extreme  of 
fashion  of  that  day,  a  little  Parisian  bonnet  on  her 
brown  hair,  a  white  shawl  of  India  crepe,  the  latest 
feminine  fad,  upon  her  graceful  shoulders,  and  a  be- 
flounced  skirt  whose  fluffiness  indicates  the  advent  of 
the  crinoline  that  a  few  years  later  is  to  startle,  dismay 
and  perhaps  even  allure  civilized  mankind. 

About  this  time  Miss  Godfrey  looks  at  the  check 
again,  and  being  thoroughly  womanly,  apparently  longs 
for  shopping.  She  says :  "If  you  don't  wish  me  any 
longer,  I'll  go  and  tell  Clara,  and  we  will  drive  down  to 
Mr.  Stewart's  together.  I  shall  have  so  much  to  buy." 

"Don't  take  too  much.  Transportation  will  be  dif 
ficult  and  the  roads  quagmires  at  this  season  in  your 
future  home." 

"No,  but  I'll  take  enough  to  make  me  very  present 
able  to  papa  and " 

"And  Texan  rangers,"  chuckles  the  old  gentleman. 
Then,  as  the  girl  turns  to  the  door,  he  says  suddenly: 
"One  moment.  You  will  have  to  go  in  the  Belle  of 
Georgia,  which  sails  for  New  Orleans  early  next  week. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rodney  of  Galveston,  Texas,  are  passen 
gers  upon  it.  They  are  old  friends  of  mine.  I  have 
already  spoken  to  them.  They  have  kindly  consented 
to  take  charge  of  you.  From  Galveston  Mr.  Rodney, 
who  is  a  merchant  there,  will  arrange  your  transporta 
tion  to  either  Matagorda  or  Corpus  Christi,  where  you 
will  probably  be  met  by  your  father." 


28  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

"Corpus  Christi?  That's  where  Taylor's  Army  is 
now  stationed.  I  know  one  of  the  officers  in  it,  Mr. 
Pelham  of  the  Dragoons.  You  recollect  him  at  Sara 
toga,"  says  Estrella  excitedly. 

"Yes,  but  that's  one  of  the  dangers  that  may  come 
upon  you.  The  minute  Taylor's  Army  moves  for  the 
Rio  Grande,  it  means  war  with  Mexico,  and  that  I  fear 
will  happen  very  soon." 

"Then  the  quicker  I  go,  the  sooner  I'll  get  to  my 
father  and  avoid  the  dangers  of  Taylor's  Army.  I'll 
speak  to  Zelma.  She  will  get  to  packkig  my  trunks  at 
once." 

"She'd  better  get  to  packing  her  own,  too." 

Miss  Godfrey  is  already  at  the  entrance  of  the  room, 
when,  Mr.  Martin's  remark  catching  her  ear,  she  pauses 
and  says  shortly :  "I — I  had  nearly  forgotten  Zelma," 
then  thinks  a  moment  and  continues:  "Just  a  word 
about  her."  She  steps  quickly  to  him,  and,  apparently 
dreading  to  be  overheard,  commences  to  whisper  into 
the  ear  of  the  gentleman  who  is  seated  at  his  desk. 

To  her  the  man  of  commerce  listens  for  a  moment,  a 
look  of  astonishment  spreading  over  his  face.  Then 
he  utters  a  prolonged  whistle  and  ejaculates:  "By 
Tippecanoe,  you're  an  extravagant  young  lady,"  medi 
tates  for  a  second  or  two,  and  dissentingly  mutters: 
"That  will  be  very  inconvenient." 

"Oh,  please,  please !  Mr.  Martin,  please  give  her  the 
opportunity." 

"Very  well,"  answers  old  Alexander.  "It  is  difficult 
to  refuse  you  anything,  especially  that  you  are  going 
away.  Do  you  think  the  girl  will  leave  you?" 

"Ah,  that  I  am  very  doubtful  about,"  whispers  the 
young  lady.  "Zelma  is  devoted  to  me.  Ever  since  my 
mother  died,  though  she  has  acted  as  my  maid,  she  has 
tried  to  be  more  than  my  m^re  servant.  The  parting 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  29 

will  be  as  sad  for  me  as  for  her.  But  you  must  give 
her  the  opportunity." 

"Jupiter,  and  rob  your  father  of " 

"Hush !"  cries  Estrella,  putting  her  fingers  on  nis 
lips.  "Promise !" 

"Very  well,  Miss  Wendel  Philips,"  says  the  mer 
chant.  "Send  her  to  me." 

And  Estrella  having  left  him,  Alexander  Martin 
utters  a  short  whistle  and  half  laughs :  "I  wonder 
what  my  Southern  correspondents  would  say  to  what 
I  am  going  to  do  now.  In  fact,  it  is  hardly  honest  to 
old  Jim  Godfrey  himself."  Over  this  he  goes  into  a 
glum  meditation,  which  is  broken  in  upon  by  a  soft  and 
sonorously  musical  voice  saying:  "My  mistress  tells 
me  you  wish  to  see  me,  Sir." 

With  a  start  he  looks  up  and  remarks :  "Yes,  Miss 
Godfrey  is  going  to  Texas,  Zelma." 

"I  have  already  heard  that.  I  am  about  to  pack 
our  trunks  and  get  ready  as  soon  as  possible." 

"You  are  going  with  her  ?" 

"Certainly.  I — I  could  never  leave  her  even  if  I  had 
the  option." 

"You  have  that  option  now.  You  know  what  your 
station  and  condition  will  be  when  you  reach  Southern 
soil." 

"The  same  as  when  I  left  it,"  the  soft  voice  answers, 
sadly.  "I  thoroughly  understand,  but  still  I  cannot 
leave  my  loved  mistress.  Her  mother  took  me  a  slave 
waif  from  Louisiana,  and  by  her  kindness  made  me 
happy,  taught  me  to  read  and  write,  gave  me  the  op 
portunity  to  educate  myself.  When  she  died  I  prom 
ised  to  remain  with  her  child." 

As  she  has  been  speaking,  Mr.  Martin  has 
been  looking  at  the  young  woman,  for  she  is  only 
some  twenty-six  or  seven  years  of  age.  A  pearly  trans 
parency  of  complexion  indicates  French  Creole  blood 


36  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

in  her  delicate  face,  but  the  soft  languor  of  her 
dove-like  eyes  and  the  flash  of  brilliant  color  in  her 
cheeks,  betray  perhaps  the  slightest  tinge  of  Africa's 
blood.  Though  this  is  scarcely  perceptible  in  Zelma  the 
octoroon,  her  appearance  being  that  of  considerable 
refinement  and  her  speech  educated.  The  material  of 
her  frock,  a  rich  but  plain  black  silk,  indicates  the 
indulgence  and  kindness  of  her  mistress,  but  its  de 
sign  and  cut  suggest  her  station.  Without  orna 
ment  or  trimming  it  fits  glove-like  her  delicate 
yet  Southernly  voluptuous  figure  to  the  slight  waist 
and  from  there  falls  into  a  skirt  that  is  cut  to  sou- 
brette  length,  disclosing  to  general  observation  very 
handsome  ankles  clothed  in  tight  white  Balbriggan 
stockings  and  pretty  feet  shod  in  plain  black  slippers. 

A  white  maid's  cap  is  perched  upon  her  glossy, 
banded  hair,  and  a  maid's  white  apron  brought  high 
upon  the  corsage  of  her  dress  slightly  conceals  the 
rounded  contours  of  her  figure  as  it  floats  in  immac 
ulate  whiteness  down  upon  the  black  skirt. 

Her  dreamy  eyes  at  times  light  with  those  gleams 
that  show  the  slumbering  passion  with  which  a  drop 
of  torrid  blood  nearly  always  fires  colder  Caucasian 
streams;  though  her  arms  bare  to  the  elbows  for  the 
convenience  of  service  in  her  mistress's  chamber  are 
beautifully  moulded  and  of  a  dazzling,  almost  ivory, 
whiteness. 

"Nevertheless,  you  have  the  opportunity.  A  ticket 
for  the  English  steamer  and  proper  funds  will  be 
placed  quietly  in  your  hands,"  mutters  Martin.  "It  is 
rather  curious  that  I  who  have  sometimes  been  ac 
cused  of  having  slave  ships  among  my  various  ven 
tures  should  do  this  abolition  act.  But  you  must  be 
aware  with  your  appearance  that  in  some  European 
countries — France,  for  instance — you  might  have  a  bet 
ter  station  than  the  servile  one  which  must  always  be 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  3 1 

yours  in  this  country,  and  in  the  South,  if  you  return 
to  it,  means  your  absolute  slavery." 

"I — I  have  thought  of  all  these  things,  Sir,"  replies 
the  young  woman;  "I  have  had  many  opportunities 
to  run  away,  but  I  love  Miss  Estrella.  I  cannot  let 
her  go  alone  to  that  far  country.  I  know  she  will 
be  kind  to  me  as  she  always  has  been."  A  curious 
searching  look  flies  into  the  octoroon's  eyes.  "What 
put  this  idea  of  defrauding  her  of  my  services  into  your 
head?"  she  queries  anxiously. 

"She.  Her  generous  heart!  Estrella  wishes  for 
your  happiness !"  answers  the  merchant. 

"Still  she  cannot  wish  to  leave  me!"  The  girl's  eyes 
grow  troubled.  Hearing  a  loved  step  in  the  hall 
way,  she  runs  out  and  cries :  "Miss  Estrella,  please 
come  here  to  me."  And  Miss  Godfrey,  dressed  for 
the  carriage,  coming  in,  Zelma  says  to  her  timidly  in 
wounded  voice:  "You — you  wish  to  part  with  me? 
What  have  I  done  to  displease  you?" 

"Nothing,  dear  Zelma!"  answers  her  mistress. 
"Only  I  want  to  give  you  a  chance  in  life.  In  the 
South  you  will  be  a  slave." 

"Yes,  but  under  your  protection,  dear  mistress,  no 
harm  can  come  to  me.  I  must  keep  the  promise  I 
have  made  your  mother.  It  was  her  wish.  Don't 
send  me  from  you  when  you  will  need  me  in  that 
barbarous  country." 

"My  mother's  wish,"  echoes  Estrella,  quite  tenderly. 
To  Martin,  she  adds :  "Please  write  a  paper  of  manu 
mission  for  Zelma.  I'll  sign  it." 

"Impossible,"  replies  the  merchant.  "This  girl  is 
your  father's  slave,  not  yours." 

"Under  these  circumstances,"  remarks  Miss  God 
frey,  "do  you  still  wish  to  come  with  me,  Zelma  ?" 

"Yes,  dear  mistress,"  answers  the  bond-maid,  devo 
tion  in  her  eyes. 


32  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

"Then  come !"  Probably  to  conceal  her  emotion,  for 
she  has  been  deeply  moved,  the  young  lady  passes  from 
the  room. 

Her  maid  would  follow  her,  but  Martin  calls  her 
back.  He  says:  "A  word  with  you,"  and  gives  her 
some  explanation  of  the  preparations  it  will  be  neces 
sary  to  make  for  her  mistress  for  her  voyage,  adding 
to  this :  "I  shall  write  to  Mr.  Godfrey  an  explanation 
of  your  devotion  to  his  daughter  and  the  reason  you 
have  accompanied  her.  Doubtless  it  will  procure  you 
every  consideration  at  her  father's  hands." 

"Thank  you,  Sir,"  answers  Zelma  gratefully,  and 
courtesying,  respectfully  stands  waiting  for  his  permis 
sion  to  leave  the  room. 

But  Martin  takes  out  a  cigar  abstractedly,  lights  it 
and  puffs  meditatively  for  a  few  moments.  Then  he 
says  tersely :  "Do  you  think,  Zelma,  Mr.  Godfrey  ever 
knew  his  wife  bought  you  in  Louisiana  after  the  death 
of  the  maid  she  had  brought  with  her  from  Texas?" 

"Yes,  Sir,  I  know  he  did,"  answers  the  young 
woman  eagerly,  "I  remember  Mrs.  Godfrey  saying  that 
he  wrote  in  a  letter :  'Tell  Zelma  when  I  come  to  New 
York  if  she  is  devoted  to  you  and  baby  and  wants  to 
marry,  I'll  give  her  her  freedom.'  " 

"Humph;  and  after  that?" 

"After  that  my  master  never  wrote  anything  about 
me.  But  that  was  after  he  changed  so,  after  he  had 
been  wounded  in  the  fight  at  Rock  Springs." 

"Changed  so?    Oh,  yes,  you  mean  his  writing." 

"No,  Sir,  not  exactly.  I  think  his  letters  were  differ 
ent  in  spirit  or  sentiment  after  that  to  Mrs.  Godfrey. 
I  know  they  seemed  to  trouble  her.  After  receiving 
one,  she  often  sighed.  Though  of  course  she  didn't 
make  me  her  confidant,  I  imagine  she  thought  her 
husband  didn't  love  her  as  he  had  before.  Sometimes 
I  think  the  sadness  caused  by  these  letters  rather  has- 


THE    SPY   COMPANY.  33 

tened  her  death.  You  do  not  believe  Mr.  Godfrey's 
wound  can  have  affected  his  head?''  asks  the  young 
woman  anxiously. 

"Not  from  his  letters,"  answers  the  merchant  sharp 
ly;  "there's  as  good  logical  business  in  them  as  any 
I  ever  read.  You  can  go,  Zelma.  Remember  to  take 
good  care  of  your  young  mistress  on  the  voyage."  As 
the  graceful  young  woman  leaves  the  room,  Martin 
glances  after  her,  and  thinks :  "Curious,  Jim  Godfrey 
doesn't  remember  he  owns  such  a  likely  piece  of  prop 
erty.  Anyway,  I'm  glad  the  girl's  going.  It  would 
have  been  a  great  inconvenience  sending  Estrella  with 
out  her  maid,  besides  an  infernal  robbery  of  Jim 
Godfrey  of  a  very  marketable  article  worth  at  least  a 
couple  of  thousand  dollars  on  the  auction  block  of  the 
Rotunda  in  the  St.  Charles  Hotel,  New  Orleans." 

Commercial  men  had  some  curious  ideas  of  prop 
erty  in  those  days,  and  the  New  York  merchant  was 
simply  voicing  them. 

He  looks  at  some  letters  on  the  desk  in  front  of  him 
bearing  the  Galveston  post-mark,  and  thinks  grimly : 
"From  his  correspondence  I  don't  imagine  Jim  God 
frey  would  take  kindly  to  loss  of  property.  Still  he 
never  mentions  the  girl  Zelma  in  his  letters,  and  he 
keeps  a  pretty  good  tag  on  all  his  other  chattels.  Can 
it  be  that  he  has  forgotten  his  wife's  purchase  in  New 
Orleans?" 

Here  the  cigar  drops  from  the  merchant's  hands. 
He  springs  up  hurriedly,  runs  out  into  the  street  and 
buys  a  paper ;  for  a  newsboy  is  calling  out :  "Extra 
Herald  !  Great  news !  War  in  prospect !  The  Presi 
dent  has  ordered  the  Army  of  Texas  to  advance  and 
take  possession  of  the  Rio  Grande  frontier !  Will  the 
Greasers  stand  this?" 

"No,"  mutters  Martin  to  himself,  "I'll  be  hanged 
if  the  Greasers  stand  this.  This  means  a  war  with 
Mexico  certain  as  there's  a  potato  famine  in  Ireland !" 


34  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE  CAPTAIN  OF  TEXAN  RANGERS. 

A  dim  misty  morning  early  in  March.  The  three 
trees,  which  marked  the  Galveston  Harbor  of  1846, 
are  growing  indistinct  from  the  deck  of  the  vessel,  as 
the  steamer  City  of  Mobile,  a  roomy  but  light  draught 
craft,  suitable  to  the  shallow  bays  and  lagoons  of  the 
Texan  coast,  is  paddling  over  the  soft  swells  of  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico.  She  is  ladened  to  her  bearings  with  sup 
plies  for  General  Taylor's  army.  Her  forward  deck 
is  littered  by  cases  of  ammunition,  boxes  of  shells, 
grape-shot  and  cannister.  Cavalry  saddles  and  casks 
of  commissary  bacon  and  United  States  salt  beef  are 
mixed  with  a  lot  of  savage  government  mules,  stabled 
in  the  bow,  a  few  ambulances  and  Conestoga  wagons 
being  arranged  about  the  beasts  to  keep  them  from 
stampeding.  The  steerage  is  crowded  with  the  usual 
underling  riff-raff  of  an  army,  sutlers'  boys,  teamsters, 
canteen-men  and  camp  followers. 

Aft  in  the  cabins,  however,  congregate  commissary 
officers  accompanying  the  army's  supplies  of  forage 
and  provisions,  two  or  three  horse  dealers,  who  have 
contracts  for  government  mounts,  and  a  scattering  of 
diamond-pinned,  white-shirted,  egg-nog  and  mint  julep 
drinking  gamblers,  who  will  officiate  with  Uncle  Sam's 
soldiers  on  pay-day. 

Naturally  such  a  vessel  bears  very  few  females, 
though  several  lights-o'-love  from  New  Orleans  and  a 
couple  of  well  rouged  Mobile  nymphs  are  proceeding 
to  Corpus  Christi,  where  about  the  camp  of  the  Ameri 
can  army  has  grown  up  a  shanty  town,  which  harbors 
those  who  prey  upon  the  soldier  as  well  as  those  who 
prey  upon  the  Government. 

Near  the  stern  of  this  steamer  is  seated  Miss  God- 


THE    SPY    COMPANY.  35 

frey,  her  bright  eyes  sometimes  fixed  on  receding  Gal- 
reston  and  now  and  again  turned  inboard  with  a 
rather  perturbed  expression  on  her  pretty  features. 
She  notices  the  incongruous  crowd  upon  the  decks,  the 
rough  men  and  rouged  women  whose  careless  language 
sometimes  makes  the  blood  suffuse  her  face  and  com 
pels  her  to  turn  her  eyes  again  upon  the  sandy  waters 
dotted  with  barrel  buoys  that  locate  the  narrow  channel 
over  the  Galveston  bar. 

Though  she  is  unaccompanied,  Americans  surround 
her.  This  gives  the  unchaperoned  girl — for  she  has 
left  kind  hearted  Mrs.  Rodney  behind  her  in  the  re 
treating  city — not  only  respect  but  privacy.  Not  one 
of  the  free-and-easy  men  upon  the  deck  says  a  word 
to  her  or  even  glances  unguardedly  at  her,  though  she 
is  the  prettiest  thing  upon  the  steamer.  Even  the 
flashily  dressed,  smooth  mannered  gamblers  from  the 
Mississippi  river,  who  are  going  down  to  Corpus 
Christi  to  see  what  they  can  do  at  faro  and  poker  with 
the  dashing  officers  of  Taylor's  army,  or  better  still  to 
fleece  Government  contractors  with  their  purses  full  on 
United  States  army  contracts,  though  they  cannot  help 
admiring  the  very  stylish  and  beautiful  young  lady, 
would  no  more  approach  her  with  a  light  word  or  at 
tempted  conversation  than  they  would  the  wife  of  the 
President  or  the  Queen  of  England. 

Miss  Godfrey's  immunity,  however,  does  not  include 
Zelma,  her  maid.  The  slight  drop  of  color  in  her 
blood,  scarcely  observable  except  by  eyes  accustomed 
to  discover  it,  has  made  Estrella's  handsome  octoroon 
the  subject  not  only  of  careless  comments,  but  to  these 
have  been  added  some  rather  pointed  personal  addresses 
from  "Yazoo  Sam,"  as  smooth  tongued  and  deadly  a 
gambler  as  ever  handled  poker  chips. 

These  attentions  coming  under  her  mistress's  obser 
vation,  Miss  Godfrey,  calling  the  young  woman  to  her, 


36  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

says:  "Zelma,  for  this  portion  of  the  voyage  I  can 
dispense  with  your  personal  attendance  on  deck.  You 
had  better  remain  in  your  stateroom." 

The  red  blood  comes  hotly  into  her  attendant's  face 
and  tears  into  her  soft  dark  eyes,  and  she  pouts  quite 
mutinously. 

"Don't  misunderstand  me,"  goes  on  her  mis 
tress,  impulsively.  "It  is  not  reproof,  Zelma;  it  is 
only  to  save  you  from  insult.  But  you  must  obey  me." 

With  this  the  octoroon  dejectedly,  thinking  of  Mr. 
Yazoo  Sam's  handsome  face  and  attractive  manner, 
goes  to  her  cabin  feeling  with  the  ardor  of  her  one 
drop  of  African  blood  that  even  for  her  own  good  it 
is  very  hard  to  be  deprived  of  the  subtle  wooing  of 
the  Knight  of  the  Faro  Table. 

Left  by  herself,  Miss  Godfrey  seated  on  the  vessel's 
deck  grows  gloomy;  she  is  so  entirely  alone;  the  so 
cial  ethics  of  the  country  she  is  now  in  forbidding  her 
making  a  companion  of  the  girl  she  has  with  her. 

Her  journey  from  New  York  to  New  Orleans  under 
the  care  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rodney  had  been  a  very 
pleasant  one.  Even  from  there  to  Galveston  on  the 
City  of  Mobile  she  had  had  the  companionship  of  sev 
eral  ladies  journeying  to  join  their  husbands  who  were 
merchants  in  Galveston  or  Houston. 

But  now  the  vessel,  turned  down  the  coast,  is  steam 
ing  towards  the  Debatable  Land,  where  the  wildness 
of  the  prairie  is  made  more  dangerous  by  the  outrages 
of  guerrilla  warfare,  where  Texan  Rangers  battle  with 
Mexican  banditti,  and  the  Comanche  Indian,  now  that 
it  is  spring  time,  is  getting  ready  to  descend  from  the 
Pecos  Mountains  and  the  Llano  Estacado  upon  the 
fertile  plains  of  Bexar  and  the  valley  of  the  San  An 
tonio,  adding  to  the  horrors  of  partisan  contest  the  raid 
of  the  predatory  savage. 

The  vessel  has  already  made  the  offing ;  the  pilot  has 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  37 

been  dispatched  to  the  shore,  when  the  quick  tooting  of 
the  steamer's  whistle  and  the  sudden  pause  of  her 
walking-beam  makes  Miss  Godfrey  look  towards  the 
bow.  Another  vessel,  apparently  disabled,  as  she  is 
traveling  under  one  wheel,  very  slowly,  is  passing  them, 
and  signals  are  being  exchanged. 

Apparently  in  response  to  these,  the  City  of  Mobile 
remains  motionless  upon  the  lazy  swell  of  the  gulf. 
Her  paddles  do  not  revolve  again  until  a  tugboat  is 
seen  steaming  out  from  Galveston  to  tow  the  disabled 
ship  into  the  harbor. 

Then  Miss  Godfrey's  vessel  steams  southward  along 
the  low  gulf  coast  of  Texas  headed  for  Corpus  Christi, 
some  two  hundred  miles  away,  where  Uncle  Sam's 
soldiers  are  gathered  together,  theoretically  to  occupy 
and  protect  Texan  soil,  but  really  to  be  ready  to  take 
the  initiative  and  march  for  the  Rio  Grande  at  the  first 
signal  from  Washington. 

As  Estrella  sits  gazing  at  the  shore  she  would  be  as 
gloomy  as  its  low  swamps  with  their  moss-grown  cy 
press  trees,  were  not  in  the  girl's  mind  the  happy 
thought :  "Every  revolution  of  the  paddle  wheels 
brings  me  nearer  to  my  father.  To-morrow  morning 
Corpus  Christi !  To-morrow  morning,  perhaps  he  will 
meet  me !  To-morrow  morning,  I  am  in  his  loved 
arms !"  Her  face  grows  bright  as  the  tropic  sun  that 
is  now  rising,  and  her  eyes  as  brilliant  as  the  sea  now 
that  the  mists  of  the  morning  are  driven  from  its  blue 
waters. 

Into  her  revery  steps  Captain  McGowan,  the  most 
genial  skipper  who  sailed  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Those 
who  travelled  the  California  trip  in  the  Fifties  remem 
ber  McGowan.  In  white  duck  from  "keel  to  kelsen," 
as  he  expresses  it,  he  looks  as  immaculate  "as  a  thou 
sand  bale  Louisiana  planter." 

In  answer  to  the  young  lady's  inquiries — they  have 


38  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

become  quite  friends  in  the  two  days  from  New  Or 
leans  to  Galveston — the  skipper  tells  her  that  the  vessel 
that  has  passed  them. is  the  Paducah  of  the  same  line 
bound  up;  that  she  has  broken  her  shaft  and  is  two 
days  behind  her  schedule  time. 

"Oh,  goodness,"  cries  Estrella  anxiously.  "There 
may  be  a  letter  on  board  of  her  from  my  father.  You 
know  I  am  going  to  Corpus  Christi  to  meet  papa. 
From  there  he -will  take  me  up  to  his  hacienda,  Live 
Oaks." 

"Yes,  through  a  country  with  land  pirates  at  every 
turn,"  mutters  McGowan.  Then  he  continues  earn 
estly:  "My  dear  young  lady,  I  have  been  thinking 
about  you  ever  since  you  came  on  board  again  at  Gal 
veston.  You  had  better  let  me  keep  you  on  my  ship  at 
Corpus  Christi,  and  when  I  sail  take  you  back  with  me. 
The  land  you're  going  to  isn't  fit  for  human  beings, 
let  alone  a  delicate  girl  like  you." 

"That  will  be  impossible!  I  have  come  here  to  see 
my  father ;  to  be  by  his  side  in  his  old  age.  My  loved 
father  is  waiting  for  me!"  cries  the  girl  devotedly. 

"Well,  love  will  make  women  go  anywhere.  There 
are  a  few  young  officers'  wives  even  now  down  at  Cor 
pus  Christi,  who  want  the  last  kiss  of  their  boy  husbands 
before  they  bid  them  good-bye  for  the  campaign,  per 
haps  the  last  they  will  ever  give  'em,"  replies  the  skipper 
moodily.  "But  in  this  matter,  since  you  are  determined 
to  land,  Miss  Godfrey,  permit  me  as  commander  of 
this  craft,  to  take  a  liberty." 

"Certainly,  Captain.  I  know  anything  you  do  will 
be  for  my  good."  Estrella  looks  at  him  with  grateful 
eyes. 

"Then,"  replies  the  seaman,  "heave  anchor  here. 
I'll  join  you  in  a  minute." 

A  few  moments  later  he  returns  accompanied  by  a 
gentleman,  and  says:  "Miss  Godfrey,  permit  me  to 


THE  SPY  COMPANY.  39 

introduce  to  you  Captain  Hampton.  There's  no  man 
better  fitted  to  put  you  safely  in  your  dad's  arms." 

"Captain  Hampton !"  ejaculates  the  girl,  her  eyes 

growing  big.  "Not  the "  Rising,  she  is  about  to 

continue  excitedly,  when  noticing  the  almost  boyish 
young  fellow  who  is  standing,  sombrero  in  hand,  before 
her,  she  suddenly  checks  herself  with  a  slightly  em 
barrassed  laugh  and  responds  to  the  polite  yet  modest 
bow  of  the  gentleman  before  her. 

"I'll  leave  you  to  make  his  acquaintance,"  says  Mc- 
Gowan  cheerily.  "Seasickness  is  about  the  only  thing 
that  ever  downed  Hampton.  He's  no  great  shakes  on 
shipboard,  and  made  the  voyage  from  New  Orleans 
with  us  to  Galveston  between  blankets.  But  on 
land  he  is  a  screamer." 

"This  salt  water  business  for  a  day  or  two  made  me 
feel  about  as  worthless  as  if  I  had  been  scalped,"  re 
marks  the  young  man  diffidently.  "However,  I'm  in 
the  saddle  again.  Noticing  that  you  are  alone  on  the 
boat,"  he  continues  in  easier  tone,  "I  have  taken  the 
liberty  of  asking  Captain  McGowan  to  introduce  me. 
He  tells  me  you  insist  on  venturing  to  visit  your  father 
up  in  Bexar  County.  Can  I  take  the  greater  liberty  of 
asking  your  plans  to  get  there  ?" 

"Certainly,"  replies  the  young  lady  gratefully.  "At 
Corpus  Christi,  I  am  directed  to  go  to  the  branch  office 
of  Martin,  Best  &  Co.  There  I  hope  to  meet  my  father, 
who  will  take  me  with  him  up  to  his  rancho  of  Live 
Oaks.  It's  above  the  Aranzas." 

"Ah,  yes,  on  Atascosa  Creek  near  the  Nueces,  where 
cattle  thieves,  Mexican  smugglers  and  sometimes 
Comanches  ride."  The  young  man  reflectively  chews 
a  straw  she  notices  he  has  in  his  mouth,  and  adds :  "I 
have  not  seen  your  father  for  the  last  few  years. 
You — you'll  excuse  me,  Miss,  but  Jim  Godfrey  can 
hardly  be  right  in  his  mind  to  think  of  taking  a  delicate 


40  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

girl  like  you  to  such  a  place  now  that  a  general  war 
with  Mexico  is  about  to  break  out  upon  the  whole  bor 
der." 

"True,"  replies  Miss  Godfrey,  concern  in  her  voice, 
"Mr.  Martin,  his  New  York  agent,  told  me  ever  since 
the  fight  at  Rock  Springs  my  father's  letters  indicate 
he  has  changed  very  much,  but  still  Mr.  Martin  always 
said  they  were  as  full  of  horse  sense  as  if  he  were  Gen 
eral  Sam  Houston  himself.  You — you've  seen  my 
father.  Tell  me,  was  he  not  always  rational  ?" 

"Yes,  after  he  recovered  from  that  fight  at  Rock 
Springs,"  returns  Hampton,  "more  than  rational,  long 
headed,  astute  and  energetic.  Still,  of  course,  a  des 
perate  scrimmage  like  that  one,  together  with  what  he 
went  through  afterwards,  may  have  told  upon  him 
eventually." 

"You — you  know  the  details  of  that  awful  fight, 
where  my  father  was  the  only  one  who  escaped !"  says 
Estrella  very  eagerly.  "Papa  never  wrote  mother 
much  about  it." 

"That  was  a  good  while  ago,"  returns  Hampton, 
"and  there  were  so  many  little  brushes  just  before  our 
big  fights  at  Alamo  and  Goliad  and  San  Jacinto  that 
one  more  or  less  didn't  count  for  much.  Your  father 
escaped  alive.  At  that  time  there  were  a  good  many 
skirmishes  in  which  everybody  was  rubbed  out."  As 
if  to  turn  Miss  Godfrey's  mind  from  this  subject,  he 
glances  at  the  very  fashionable  garments  of  the  young 
lady  and  observes  rather  abruptly :  "From  your  ap 
pearance,  you've  been  away  from  Texas  for  some  time, 
I  reckon?" 

"Yes,  ever  since  I  was  three  years  of  age.  I  have 
never  seen  my  father  to  remember  him."  Her  voice  is 
very  eager  as  she  asks  :  "Tell  me,  do  I  look  like  him  ?" 

"Not  a  bit !"  answers  the  Captain  decidedly. 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  41 

"I  don't  look  like  my  father!"  pouts  the  girl  disap 
pointedly. 

"But  still  you  do  look  like  someone  I've  seen,"  re 
turns  the  Texan  meditatively.  His  piercing  eyes  re 
gard  Miss  Godfrey  so  searchingly  that  to  break  away 
from  the  subject,  she  goes  into  a  rambling  record  of 
her  life;  how  her  father  had  gone  to  Texas  in  1824, 
having  received,  as  an  impresario,  an  immense  grant  of 
land  from  the  Mexican  Government  on  condition  that 
he  furnish  it  with  a  hundred  settlers.  This  contract  he 
had  not  been  able  to  complete  until  1834,  though  he  had 
long  before  that  time  located  his  hacienda  on  the  fertile 
lands  between  the  Atascosa  Creek  and  San  Antonio 
River.  That  while  making  this  settlement,  her  little 
sister,  Sybil,  two  years  younger  than  she,  had  been 
stolen  and  carried  away  either  by  Mexican  bandits  or 
Comanche  Indians. 

"Yes,  such  things  have  been  too  common  about 
here,"  returns  the  Texan.  "Though  it  may  have 
Lippians  and  Wacos,  those  savages  then  hadn't  been 
taught  to  be  good  Indians  by  our  Kentucky  rifles." 

"Sometimes,"  continues  Estrella,  "I  imagine,  though 
he  never  mentioned  it  in  his  letters,  it  is  some  wild 
hope  of  finding  my  sister  that  has  kept  my  father  all 
these  years  from  visiting  New  York  and  taking  me 
in  his  arms." 

Noting  how  the  girl's  face  lights  up  as  she  says  this, 
Hampton  suggests :  "You  seem  so  eager  to  see  him, 
permit  me  to  expedite  the  meeting  by  getting  you  early 
on  shore  to-morrow  morning  and  taking  you  to  the  of 
fice  of  Martin,  Best  &  Co." 

"Thank  you,"  replies  the  girl  unaffectedly,  "I  shall 
be  more  than  pleased  if  a  friend  of  Captain  McGowan 
will  be  kind  enough  to  see  me  that  far  upon  the  way." 

As  they  have  been  talking,  Estrella  has  been  looking 
over  the  gentleman  whose  escort  she  has  accepted  and 


42  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

is  pleased  with  him,  though  she  thinks  he  is  rather 
young  to  be  of  any  great  weight  or  importance  in  this 
rough  and  tumble  Western  world. 

He  has  a  boy's  face,  clean  cut  and  Roman,  lighted  by 
gray-blue  eyes,  that  would  seem  cold  did  they  not 
sparkle  enthusiastically  as  they  gaze  on  her;  a  sym 
metrical  figure,  though  rather  gaunt  and  wiry  from 
the  athletics  of  the  prairie,  exceedingly  small  feet  and 
hands.  Dressed  in  a  black  long-skirted  frock  coat,  the 
typical  Southern  low-collared  vest  and  an  immaculately 
white  shirt,  with  trousers  well  spread  out  over  his  high 
Wellington  boots,  a  Mexican  sombrero  shading  his 
clean  shaven  face,  the  young  man's  air  would  be  that 
of  a  rather  bashful  farm  lad  addressing  a  society 
beauty,  did  not  a  curious  courtesy  of  manner  add  a 
quiet  and  almost  impressive  dignity  to  his  bearing. 

"Thank  you,"  he  replies  simply.  "You  have  made 
me  very  happy  in  trusting  yourself  so  far  to  me.  I 
think  even  on  this  boat  I  may  be  of  some  little  assist 
ance  to  you." 

"Indeed,  how  ?"  asks  the  young  lady,  astonished. 

"I  noticed  that  you  seemed  inconvenienced  sitting  on 
deck  this  morning  without  the  attendance  of  your  maid 
to  fan  you  and  make  you  comfortable.  If  you  will 
permit  me,  I  will  speak  to  a  certain  gentleman,  and  I 
think  after  that  you  can  tell  your  girl  that  she  can  come 
on  deck." 

"Oh,  please  don't  make  any  trouble." 

"There  will  be  no  trouble.  I  will  simply  say  to  Mr. 
Yazoo  Sam  that  any  attention  to  her  maid  annoys  Miss 
Godfrey.  That  will,  I  think,  settle  it." 

"But  please  don't  place  yourself  in  danger,"  whispers 
the  girl  in  a  frightened  tone.  "These  Mississippi 
gamblers,  I  believe,  are " 

"Are  rather  slick  with  the  pistol,"  he  smiles  coldly. 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  43 

"Yes,  but  other  people  about  here  are  also  quick  on  the 
trigger." 

"Yes,  I  suppose  they  have  to  be  to  live,"  she  shud 
ders;  then  to  change  the  subject  remarks  in  rather 
embarrassed  tone :  "When  first  Captain  McGowan 
mentioned  your  name  as  Hampton,  do  you  know  I 
thought,  till  I  noticed  how  boyish  you  were,  that  he 
was  perhaps  introducing  the  celebrated  Captain  Sharpe 
Selby  Hampton  of  Hays's  Texan  Rangers,  the  noted 
frontiersman  and  Indian  fighter,  who  even  as  a  boy 
fought  at  San  Jacinto.  Are  you  a  relative  of  his?" 

"Yes,  I'm — I'm  a  connection,"  stammers  the  young 
man  very  nervously.  "But  if  you'll  excuse  me,  I'll — I'll 
execute  the  little  mission  I  have  given  myself,  so  that 
your  girl  can  come  on  deck." 

He  hurriedly  leaves  her,  and  Estrella,  watching  him 
anxiously,  sees  him  step  to  three  or  four  gentlemen  of 
the  dice  box  and  card  table  who  are  lounging  amidships 
and  they  all  lift  their  hats  to  him.  He  says  a  few  quiet 
words,  and  Mr.  Yazoo  Sam  answers,  his  manner  im 
plying  dissent  or  refusal. 

Then  the  girl  starts  astounded.  The  cold  eyes  of 
this  bashful  boy  gleam  with  a  peculiar  steely  glint  that 
frightens  her;  a  look  flies  into  his  face  that  awes  her. 
She  seems  to  be  in  the  presence  of  death.  Half  a 
dozen  cold  words  apparently  issue  slowly  from  his 
thin  chiseled  lips,  and  the  gambler  shrinks  from  him ; 
then  shrugging  his  shoulders  deprecatingly,  bows  and 
responds  in  louder  tone:  "No  offence  meant  and  no 
harm  done,  we  hope,  Captain.  To  prove  it,  let's 
liquor!"  With  this  they  all  go  forward,  apparently  to 
the  bar-room  of  the  steamer  that  is  doing  a  great  busi 
ness. 

A  few  minutes  after  Miss  Godfrey  steps  to  the  state 
room  and  tells  Zelma  that  she  can  come  on  de'ck  with 
out  fear  of  annoyance.  This  proves  to  be  so.  Mr. 


44  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

Yazoo  Sam  does  not  address  her  maid,  and  the  rest  of 
the  morning  passes  quite  pleasantly,  Miss  Godfrey 
making  herself  acquainted  with  the  "Indian  Question" 
in  one  of  Cooper's  novels. 

At  two  o'clock  Captain  McGowan  makes  his  ap 
pearance  at  her  side  and  suggests :  "With  your  per 
mission,  young  lady,  I'll  take  you  in  to  dinner." 

Entering  the  cabin,  she  finds  the  skipper  has  given 
her  retirement  at  his  own  table,  only  a  sedate  army 
contractor  and  two  commissariat  officers  in  uniform 
being  of  the  party,  with  the  addition  of  the  gentleman 
whose  acquaintance  she  has  made  in  the  morning.  He 
shortly  after  comes  in  and  seats  himself  on  McGowan's 
other  hand. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  meal  the  contractor  and 
commissary  men,  being  about  to  leave  the  table  to  light 
their  cigars  on  deck,  the  skipper  turning  to  Hampton, 
says  :  Hope  you  and  this  young  lady  have  had  a  pleas 
ant  chat  together." 

"Decidedly !"  answers  the  gentleman  enthusiastically. 
Miss  Godfrey  was  kind  enough  to  tell  me  about  the 
great  city  of  New  York,  life  at  Saratoga  Springs,  and 
give  me  some  description  of  the  high-fly  civilization, 
upon  the  trail  of  which  I  got  at  New  Orleans." 

"You've  been  up  at  the  Crescent  City,  Captain  ?"  re 
marks  one  of  the  commissary  officers,  as  he  rises  from 
his  chair. 

"Yes,  getting  equipment  for  the  boys,"  replies  Hamp 
ton,  a  tinge  of  embarrassment  in  his  voice.  "You  know 
we  expect  to  move  very  shortly." 

"Yes,  when  I  was  last  at  Corpus  Christi,  Ben  Mc- 
Cullogh  told  me  that  you  were  going  to  take  over  Sam 
Walker's  company,"  remarks  the  army  man.  "Also 
that  Colonel  Hays  had  written  to  you  in  New  Orleans 
telling  you  to  leave  all  extra  equipment  at  Corpus 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  45 

Christi  and  the  regiment  would  get  it  when  they  reacli 
there." 

"By  George,  that  looks  as  if  General  Taylor  was 
about  to  move  at  once,"  interjects  McGowan. 

"Sam  Walker's  becoming  its  lieutenant  colonel 
will  probably  give  you  the  vacant  majority  in  the  Texas 
regiment,  won't  it,  Captain  Hampton?"  asks  the  army 
contractor. 

"Can't  exactly  be  sure  of  that,"  replies  the  young  fel 
low.  "Some  people  think  I'm  too  young."  Here  his 
glance  happens  to  catch  the  young  lady  seated  at  Mc- 
Gowan's  side,  her  face,  made  red  yet  bewitching  by 
embarrassment,  directed  at  some  raisins  upon  her  plate. 
He  mutters  blushingly :  "Thank  you,  gentlemen,  I'll 
accept  your  invitation  and  join  you  in  a  cigar,"  and 
hurriedly  leaves  the  cabin  ahead  of  the  commissariat 
men. 

"What's  the  matter  with  Sharpe  Hampton?"  queries 
McGowan  of  his  pretty  charge.  "He  always  was  a 
bashful  fellow,  but  to-day  he  seems  to  excel  himself. 
He  accepted  those  army  chaps'  cigars  when  they  didn't 
offer  them." 

"I'm  afraid,"  says  Miss  Godfrey,  still  studying  the 
raisins  on  her  plate,  "that  Captain  Hampton  is  perhaps 
displeased  with  me.  I  made  a  very  embarrassing  and 
foolish  contretemps.  I  told  him  I  had  nearly  mis 
taken  him  for  the  celebrated  Captain  Sharpe  Hampton, 
but  that  of  course  he  was  too  young."  Then  she 
breaks  out,  her  eyes  growing  big :  "Is  that  boy  really 
the  great  frontiersman,  the  friend  of  the  celebrated 
Colonel  Jack  Hays  of  the  Texas  Rangers,  and  Ben  Mc- 
Cullogh,  and  the  hero  of  half  a  hundred  hand  to  hand 
encounters  with  Mexicans  and  Indians?" 

"Yes,  that's  Captain  Sharpe  Selby  Hampton,"  re 
plies  the  skipper.  To  this  he  adds  in  low  chuckle: 
"By  Jove,  you've  probably  wounded  Sharpe  Hampton 


46  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

more  savagely  than  half  a  dozen  regiments  of  Greasers 
could.  The  only  thing  he  is  touchy  upon  is  his  youth 
ful  appearance." 

"But  isn't  he  a  boy?" 

"Well,  he's  twenty-six.  About  the  age  Napoleon 
fought  his  great  Italian  campaigns,  I  believe.  And  be 
tween  you  and  me,  Captain  Sharpe  Selby  Hampton, 
though  he's  as  modest  as  he  is  brave,  is  able  enough 
and  experienced  enough  to  take  care  of  anything  in  the 
fighting  line,  from  grizzly  bars  to  Comanche  Indians ; 
though  in  other  respects  he  is  a  very  timid  young  fel 
low,  as  you've  doubtless  seen.  Blushed  to  the  eyes, 
didn't  he,  as  he  addressed  you?  Come,"  the  seaman 
says  cheerfully,  "I'll  make  your  peace  with  him.  No 
body  could  be  very  angry  with  you."  Leading  the 
young  lady  on  deck,  he  finds  the  young  Texan  medi 
tatively  smoking  a  cigar. 

"I  see  I've  got  to  make  this  introduction  over 
again,"  remarks  McGowan.  "Miss  Godfrey,  this  is 
really  Captain  Sharpe  Selby  Hampton,  the  comrade  of 
Jack  Hays  and  Ben  McCullogh,  the  hero  of  half  a  hun 
dred  skirmishes,  the  boy  who  with  'Deaf  Smith' 
destroyed  the  bridge  at  San  Jacinto." 

"Now  quit,  McGowan,"  says  the  young  man,  un 
easily,  tossing  his  cigar  away,  his  face  growing  red  not 
withstanding  its  tan. 

"The  Greaser  killer,  the  Injun  scalper!"  guffaws  the 
jovial  seadog. 

"Please  hold  your  horses !"  says  Hampton.  "I  never 
put  my  knife  about  an  Indian's  top-knot,  though  I've 
been  tempted  to.  What  man  in  Texas  hasn't?  But 
you'll  frighten  Miss  Godfrey ;  frighten  her  of  me,  when 
— when  I  had  hoped  to  be  perhaps  of  some  little  ser 
vice  to  her." 

"Oh,  that  you  have  already  been!"  cries  the  girl 
gratefully.  "The  attendance  of  my  maid  has  been  very 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  47 

useful  to  nu\"  She  glances  at  the  Texan  Ranger  and 
sees  something  in  his  countenance  that  makes  her  turn 
her  eyes  diffidently  over  the  blue  waves  gliding  by  the 
steamer's  side. 

"By  Jingo,  you're  the  bashful  one  now,  Miss 
Estrella,"  laughs  McGowan,  "but  I  must  relieve  my 
first  officer  and  give  him  a  chance  for  dinner." 

The  commander  of  the  boat  walks  forward  leaving 
Miss  Godfrey  still  gazing  out  upon  the  waters  of  the 
Gulf. 

"You  look  all — all  fired  warm,"  stammers  the  Texan 
nervously.  "Let  me  get  your  girl  to  come  and  fan 
you." 

"Pooh,  I  don't  need  to  be  fanned  all  the  time,"  laughs 
the  young  lady.  "Please  place  a  steamer  chair  for 
me.  Then  will  you  tell  me  something  of  the  land  of 
my  birth  that  I  am  visiting  but  which  I  know  so  little 
about?" 

"Will  mustangs  kick?"  replies  Hampton  eagerly, 
and  though  lacking  in  experience,  he  shows  the  instinct 
of  a  cavalier  by  making  Miss  Godfrey  very  comfort 
able.  Seated  beside  her,  and  perhaps  inspired  by  her 
exquisite  face  or  by  his  subject,  for  the  land  of  Texas 
seems  dear  to  him,  the  young  man  tells  his  lovely  vis-a 
vis  the  beauties  of  the  Lone  Star  State,  describing  the 
wave-like  plains  green  with  the  richest  grasses  and 
covered  with  myriads  of  buffalo.  From  this  he  runs 
into  a  picture  of  the  most  lovely  thing  in  all  that 
southern  country,  the  flower  prairie,  that  sea  of  dazzling 
colors  dotted  here  and  there  with  mottes  of  timber 
that  look  like  green  islands  in  a  gorgeous  ocean.  He 
explains  that  these  are  often  so  vast  in  extent  that  only 
the  tried  frontiersmen  dare  attempt  to  cross  them  with 
out  compass,  for  the  inexperienced  get  lost  upon  them, 
and  traveling  in  circles  mid  the  flowery  billows,  become 
as  helpless  as  if  alone  in  an  open  boat  upon  the  bound- 


48  THE  SPY  COMPANY. 

less  ocean,  sinking  down  to  die  of  thirst,  the  odors  of  a 
million  petals  regaling  their  expiring  nostrils  and  their 
dying  ears  soothed  with  the  songs  of  innumerable  hum 
ming  birds  and  orange  winged  orioles.  Enthusing  over 
the  wonderful  game  that  covers  this  fair  land,  he  tells 
his  listener  of  hunting  adventures  with  buffalo,  cougars 
and  also  the  savage  jaguar  of  Southern  Texas. 

During  this  Miss  Godfrey  notices  that  he  is  only  elo 
quent  upon  the  pleasant  things  of  the  country  she  is 
visiting;  that  he  says  naught  of  the  frightful  combats 
by  men  over  this  beautiful  land,  of  the  rattlesnakes  that 
lie  coiled  beneath  its  wild  flowers,  or  of  the  merciless 
Indians  that  raid  its  green  prairies  with  lance  and 
scalping  knife. 

But  in  the  midst  of  his  oration,  the  Captain  suddenly 
starts  and  says  disconcertedly :  "Thunder,  that's  the 
gong  for  supper." 

"Yes,  the  time  has  passed  very  rapidly  and  very 
pleasantly,  hasn't  it?"  remarks  the  girl.  To  this  she 
adds  as  she  rises  :  "Thank  you  for  trying  to  make  me 
like  Texas.  You've  even  made  death  in  its  flower 
prairies  poetic." 

"Well,  yes,"  he  replies  uneasily,  "I  love  my  State 
and  I  want  you  to  like  it  also.  It's  your  State  too." 

But  his  disciple  in  frontier  instruction  going  off  to 
her  cabin,  he  stands  gazing  after  her  graceful  figure. 
To  himself  he  mutters  sheepishly :  "That's  the  first 
occasion  I  ever  jabbered  poetic  nothings." 

Soon  after  pacing  the  deck  and  attempting  philo 
sophy  by  the  aid  of  a  cigar,  he  is  joined  by  the  genial 
skipper  of  the  City  of  Mobile.  "I  hope  you  will  be 
able  to  assist  the  young  lady  when  she  lands,"  remarks 
McGowan,  "down  in  that  rutty,  muddy,  cut-throat 
hole,  Corpus  Christi,  to-morrow  morning." 

"Believe  me,  I  shall  do  what  I  can  for  her,"  responds 
the  Texan. 


THE  SPY  COMPANY.  49 

"You  found  her  somewhat  like  her  father,  I  pre 
sume?"  suggests  the  skipper. 

"No  more  than  a  canary  bird  is  like  a  blue  jay,  I'm 
very  happy  to  say,"  is  Hampton's  reply.  "For  between 
ourselves,  Jim  Godfrey  has  the  reputation  of  being  a 
very  onery  cuss  all  over  Southern  Texas,  working  his 
niggers  to  death  and  skinning  everybody  who  has 
dealings  with  him.  But  his  daughter — whew  !  As 
the  Arkansas  traveler  said,  'she  is  chicken  fixings.'  " 
The  Ranger's  eyes  are  very  enthusiastic. 

"Oh,  so  you  do  think  well  of  my  protege?" 

"Well,  I  thought  enough  of  her  two  or  three  hours 
ago  to  risk  my  life  by  telling  Yazoo  Sam,  who  they  say 
shoots  mighty  straight,  that  if  he  didn't  quit  sparking 
Miss  Godfrey's  yaller  gal,  I'd  put  daylight  through  him 
to-morrow  morning  as  soon  as  we  landed,"  answers  the 
young  man.  "You  see  it  annoyed  Miss  Godfrey  just  a 
leetle  and  I  couldn't  stand  that.  No  Siree!  Not  by 
Texas!" 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  FIGHT  FOR  THE  DESERT  SPRING. 

In  1846  on  an  ocean  steamer  on  the  Gulf  Coast,  what 
was  called  "supper"  was  nearly  always  a  pleasant 
meal.  This  evening  the  breeze  was  blowing  softly 
through  the  open  transoms  of  the  City  of  Mobile,  the 
bright  lights  of  the  salon  made  the  cabin  cheerful,  and 
the  languid  splash  of  the  waters  outside  under  the 
paddles  of  the  boat  seemed  to  be  a  pleasant  lullaby. 

The  menu  was  excellent,  but  Miss  Godfrey 
noticed  that  the  Captain  of  the  Texan  Rangers, 
who  came  in  considerably  after  she  did  and  sat 
opposite  her,  said  very  little  and  ate  perhaps  less. 


5°  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

So  much  so,  that  McGowan,  who  announces  that  they 
will  be  in  Corpus  Christi  early  in  the  morning,  re 
marks  "Still  seasick,  eh,  Captain  Hampton?  You 
have  too  delicate  a  stomach  for  salt  water  cooking. 
You  should  take  a  lesson  in  gastronomy  from  tins 
young  lady  at  my  right  hand.  She  can  handle  a  knife 
and  fork  in  a  gale  of  wind."  This  is  quite  true.  Miss 
Godfrey  somehow  is  in  excellent  spirits  this  evening 
and  is  doing  full  justice  to  a  very  good  meal. 

"No  romance  in  her  appetite,"  continues  the  skipper 
cheerily.  Turning  to  his  fair  protege,  he  suggests : 
"Have  another  plate  of  waffles,  won't  you  ?" 

"Thank  you,"  laughs  Estrella.  "After  that  can  I 
support  your  eulogy  of  my  appetite  with  some  of  that 
buffalo  tongue  in  front  of  you  ?" 

"With  pleasure.  This  evening  Hampton  will  ex 
plain  to  you  how  they  shoot  these  critters  out  on  the 
plains." 

"I  think  I've  told  you  that  already,"  responds  the 
Texan,  glancing  across  the  table,  but  the  bright  eyes 
of  his  exquisite  vis-a-vis  make  him  seek  his  plate  again, 
though  they  don't  increase  his  appetite. 

For  some  occult  reason  the  more  beautiful  Miss  God 
frey  appears  to  him,  the  gloomier  and  more  distrait  this 
Captain  of  Rangers.  Accustomed  to  the  dangers  of 
partisan  warfare  with  savage  enemies,  he  seems  to  be 
almost  afraid  of  gazing  on  the  ethereal  loveliness  of 
the  lady,  which  this  evening  is  pronounced  enough  to 
conquer  more  blase  gentlemen  than  the  young  fellow 
seated  opposite  to  her.  Though  extremely  cool-head 
ed  when  facing  almost  inevitable  death,  Sharpe  has 
grown  very  warm-blooded  in  encountering  the  dash 
ing  light  artillery  of  Estrella's  brown  eyes.  This  even 
ing  he  thinks  Miss  Godfrey  is  beautiful  enough  to  con 
quer  anything  that  walks. 

Perhaps  judging  it  is  her  last  opportunity  for  some 


THE    SPY   COMPANY.  51 

little  time  to  wear  the  delicate  garments  of  fashionable 
life,  this  summery  evening  Estrella  is  all  in  white,  her 
perfectly  formed  shoulders  and  rounded  arms  gleaming 
like  ivory  beneath  the  sheer  muslins  of  her  corsage. 
Zelma  has  bound  up  her  hair  a  la  Greque,  but  artfully 
destroyed  classic  severity  by  permitting  two  or  three 
ringlets  to  escape  and  dangle  upon  the  snowy  neck. 
This  is  not  absolutely  Attic  style,  but  it  suits  Captain 
Hampton  "down  to  the  ground,"  as  he  mentally  ex 
presses  it. 

Noticing  his  almost  rustic  embarrassment,  McGowan, 
who  as  a  popular  steamboat  captain,  has  witnessed 
many  salt  water  flirtations,  mercilessly  remarks :  "Per 
haps  after  dinner  you  will  find  something  pleasanter 
than  buffalo  to  chat  about  to  Miss  Godfrey.  You 
know  he  has  had  some  experience,"  he  continues  to 
the  young  lady.  "He  is  a  little  seasick  now,  but  upon 
dry  land,  I  am  told,  he  is  a  frontier  gallant,  and  you 
can  bet  it's  true.  I  never  saw  a  fighter  who  wasn't  a 
lover." 

"It  isn't  quite  fair,  Captain,  to  jump  on  a  sea 
sick  man,"  returns  Hampton.  He  rises  uneasily  and 
mutters :  "In  fact,  I — I  guess  this  cabin's  too  hot  for 
me.  I'll — I'll  go  on  deck  and  take  a  cigar." 

A  slight  laugh,  in  which  Estrella  herself  cannot  help 
joining,  hastens  his  abrupt  exodus  from  the  table. 

"That  fellow,"  chuckles  the  Captain,  "is  more  danger 
ous  than  he  looks.  Colonel  Jack  Hays,  who's  traveled 
with  me,  tells  me  Hampton  dances  the  fandango  so 
well  that  the  hombres  in  San  Antonio  snap  their  yellow 
teeth  like  castanets,  and  the  senoritas  down  on  the  Rio 
Grande  think  he  is  the  prettiest  caballero  who  ever 
straddled  a  bucking  mustang.  You  want  to  look  out 
for  him,  Miss  Godfrey." 

"Ah,  then  you  should  not  have  placed  me  in  his 
charge,  Captain  McGowan,"  laughs  Estrella,  parrying 


52  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

his  suggestion  with  that  woman's  tact  which  is  given 
even  to  debutantes.  "You  must  remember  that  I've 
only  been  out  one  season  and  am  not  accustomed  to 
meet  gentlemen  who  they  say  fight  like  Paladins." 

"Oh,  I'd  risk  you ;  its  Sharpe  I'm  scared  about," 
answers  the  Captain.  "Besides,  soon  as  we  get  to 
Corpus  Christi,  that  chap  who  is  smoking  his  cigar  on 
deck  will  have  rivals.  The  dashing  bucks  of  Taylor's 
Army  will  be  about  you  like  bees  round  a  honey  tree." 

To  this  the  young  lady  doesn't  answer.  It  reminds 
her  of  young  Pelham  and  the  souvenir  he  had  taken 
from  her  at  Saratoga.  She  knows  the  lieutenant  rides 
with  May's  Dragoons;  that  perhaps  to-morrow  she  will 
see  his  handsome  figure  and  earnest  eyes.  But  as  she 
steps  on  deck  with  McGowan  she  puts  this  from  her 
mind  with  a  careless :  "Pshaw,  he  must  have  forgot 
ten  me  long  ago  scouting  on  the  plains." 

As  she  and  the  skipper  pace  together  the  port  side 
of  the  hurricane  deck,  the  Texan  strides  the  starboard 
side.  Rather  chewing  his  cigar  than  smoking  it, 
he  is  pondering  on  a  subject  that  disturbs  him. 
Miss  Godfrey  is  the  first  highly  accomplished  and 
delicately  bred  Anglo-Saxon  young  lady  he  has  ever 
met.  Uncouth  though  comely  trappers'  daughters 
he  has  seen  quite  often.  With  the  semi-civilized 
beauties  of  the  coquettish  reboso  and  floating  nagita 
that  abound  on  the  Mexican  border,  he  has  oft  footed 
the  cachucha  to  the  disgust  of  their  compatriots,  but 
this  Eastern  belle  with  her  cultivated  graces  of  mind 
and  body  is  something  he  has  never  met  before. 
Though  in  his  short  and  only  visit  to  New  Orleans, 
from  which  he  is  returning,  he  had  looked  at  the 
Louisiana  beauties,  it  had  only  been  distantly  from 
a  seat  in  the  opera  house  or  theatre.  Estrella's  very 
delicacy  and  refinement  make  him  extremely  diffident. 
He  says  to  himself  grimly :  "Miss  High  Flyer  doubt- 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  53 

less  thinks  me  a  mixture  of  uncultured  frontier  lad  and 
blood-thirsty  bravo,"  but  gazes  earnestly  across  the 
deck  at  the  delicate  beauty  that  is  almost  fairylike  in 
the  moonlight. 

Catching  a  glance  from  the  girl's  bright  eyes, -he 
recklessly  tosses  his  cigar  away  and  walks  straight  as 
the  moth  to  the  flame  to  Miss  Godfrey,  who  has 
been  left  by  McGowan  seated  on  a  steamer  chair  under 
the  stern  awning. 

With  that  curious  abruptness  common  to  bashful 
men  he  remarks :  "I  have  been  thinking  about  your 
father,  Miss  Godfrey." 

"Oh,  thank  you  for  coming  to  talk  to  me  about 
him,"  replies  the  girl  eagerly  and  cordially.  "Tell  me 
everything  you  know  of  him,  Captain  Hampton.  You 
seemed  this  morning  to  rather  avoid  speaking  of  him." 
Her  delicate  hand  and  her  almost  pleading  eyes  indicate 
the  camp  stool  beside  her. 

The  next  second  he  is  seated  quite  close  to  her,  say 
ing  earnestly :  "Only  because  I  hesitated  to  mention 
to  you  a  scene  in  his  life  that  must  greatly  affect  his 
daughter.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  only  time  I  ever 
really  was  with  Jim  Godfrey  for  more  than  a  passing 
hour  was  just  after  that  extraordinary  little  Indian- 
Mexican  skirmish,  from  which  your  father  was  the 
only  one  who  escaped  alive." 

"Yes,  the  only  one,"  answers  the  girl,  her  voice 
quivering.  "Tell  me.  You  could  not  have  been  there. 
He  was  the  only  one  who  lived." 

"Not  there  at  the  time,  but  mighty  shortly  after 
wards,"  answers  the  ranger ;  "and  if  you  do  not  think 
it  will  disturb  your  nerves  too  much,  I  will  tell  you 
about  it  as  well  as  I  am  able.  I  was  only  a  boy  of  fifteen 
then.  But  there  are  certain  scenes  that  get  branded 
upon  a  man's  memory. 

"Early  in  1836,  I,  in  company  with  a  small  band  of 


54  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

Texans,  was  sent  to  scout  on  the  upper  waters  of  the 
Guadaloupe.  There  were  but  few  of  us.  Most  of 
those  who  bore  arms  were  getting  ready  on  the  lower 
San  Antonio  and  about  Goliad  to  meet  the  expected 
invasion  of  Santa  Anna  from  Mexico.  For  in  the  pre 
vious  December,  we  had  answered  old  Ben  Milam's 
cry  and  avenged  his  blood  in  storming  San  Antonio, 
and  sending  General  Cos  hustling  across  the  Rio 
Grande  to  tell  his  master  Santa  Anna  that  he  and  fif 
teen  hundred  Mexican  regulars  had  been  driven  out  of 
the  chief  town  in  Texas  by  some  three  hundred  fron 
tiersmen  unaided  by  artillery  and  only  armed  with 
rifles,  pistols  and  Arkansas  toothpicks. 

"Almost  as  soon  as  Cos  was  squelched,  Colonel 
Travis,  who  was  in  command  at  San  Antonio,  ordered 
some  ten  of  us  to  patrol  the  sources  of  the  Guada 
loupe.  He  feared  that  some  Mexican  column  might 
sneak  in  back  of  us  from  Chihuahua,  and  cut  us  off 
from  the  main  Texan  force  which  was  all  too  slowly 
assembling  at  Gonzales. 

"Eor  a  few  days  we  scouted  upon  and  examined 
the  head  waters  of  that  river  reaching  the  tag  end  of 
those  barren  plains  that  in  New  Mexico  are  called 
the  Llano  Estacado  and  come  down  in  Middle  Texas 
almost  to  the  Rio  Grande.  Though  the  country  is 
not  quite  as  barren  there  as  it  is  further  up,  springs 
are  mighty  few  and  far  between,  and  upon  the  sun- 
dried  mesa  getting  enough  water  for  man  and  beast 
is  about  as  hard  as  trapping  coyotes. 

"Our  work  had  to  be  done  very  carefully  for  we 
were  upon  the  borders  of  the  Indian  country  and  while 
we  were  looking  for  Mexicans,  might  be  surprised 
and  jumped  on  by  Comanches.  So  we  all  kept  our 
eyes  mighty  wide  open. 

"One  morning,  just  at  the  border  of  this  bad  land, 
Jake  Littell  and  I  came  on,  to  our  astonishment,  among 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  55 

the  pinon  timber  about  the  base  of  some  outlying 
butes,  a  trail.  Though  the  imprints  were  those  of  moc 
casins',  we  knew  that  no  Indian  feet  had  made  'em ; 
because  they  turned  outward.  Tracking  this  for  about 
an  hour,  we  overtook  a  crazy  white  man  dressed  in 
store  clothes.  He  was  raving  with  delirium  from  the 
hot  sun,  his  tongue  black  as  a  watermelon-seed  from 
lack  of  water. 

"On  seeing  us,  he  uttered  a  shriek  and  fled  from 
us.  Being  mounted,  we  rapidly  overtook  him,  seized 
him,  poured  water  down  his  throat  and  gave  him  the 
best  succor  possible  out  on  the  prairie. 

"After  drinking  our  canteens  dry,  he  revived  suf 
ficiently  to  tell  us  that  he  and  a  party  of  five  others 
had  had  a  brush  with  a  band  of  Mexican  volunteer 
cavalry  somewhere  to  the  south  of  us. 

"By  this  time,  the  balance  of  the  command  had 
overtaken  us.  'Greasers  to  the  South !'  was  passed 
along.  We  were  not  accustomed  to  count  noses  in 
those  days,  and  we  didn't  ask  'how  many?'  Taking 
the  man  with  us,  who  was  still  at  times  so  delirious 
we  had  to  tie  him  on  an  extra  pack  mule,  we  started 
off  on  one  of  the  most  terrific  jaunts  I  have  ever 
ridden.  Even  in  February,  the  vegetation  was  parched 
upon  that  arid  plain.  Of  course  we  had  taken 
the  precaution  to  fill  our  canteens  when  we  left  the 
last  little  creek  that  trickled  down  the  escarpment  to 
join  the  Guadaloupe,  for  we  guessed  water  would  be 
almighty  scarce  upon  the  Mesa.  As  we  rode  on,  the 
burning  sun  over  head  seemed  to  blister  us.  It  was 
the  hottest  winter  day  I  have  ever  seen  in  Texas  and 
would  have  been  a  broiler  even  in  the  middle  of  sum 
mer.  Not  a  breath  of  air  was  stirring  over  the  arid 
table  land;  and  mighty  soon  our  mustangs  began  to 
suffer.  But  stimulated  by  the  hope  of  wiping  out 
the  rancheros,  we  travelled  one  whole  day  and 


56  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

part  of  the  next.  By  this  time  we  were  beginning  to 
think  not  of  Mexican  cavalry,  but  of  water  to  keep  us 
alive.  Already  two  or  three  of  the  pack  mules  had 
given  up  and  thrown  themselves  down  upon  the  baked 
adobe  soil  to  die.  The  veteran  frontiersman,  in  com 
mand  of  us,  had  a  very  gloomy  look  upon  his  gaunt 
visage  as  he  rode  along,  chewing  some  tasajo  to  get  a 
little  saliva  in  his  mouth.  In  fact,  those  of  us  who 
were  not  chewing  jerked  beef,  were  chewing  bullets 
to  keep  our  tongues  from  swelling  till  they  choked  us. 

"Just  then  a  little  breeze,  the  first  that  had  fanned 
us,  sprang  up  from  the  west. 

"Littell,  who  was  riding  beside  me,  chancing  to 
gaze  over  the  cactus  plain,  suddenly  cried :  'Golly, 
look  at  them  mules  that  we've  left  behind  us!  Boys, 
we're  saved !'  For  the  two  mules  that  had  given  up 
and  were  lying  down,  had  staggered  to  their  feet  and 
were  loping  off  towards  the  west,  new  life  in  them. 

"All  animals  have  an  instinct  for  water,  but  a  mule 
can  scent  it  farther  than  a  buzzard  can  see  a  carcass. 
Littell  knew  this  and  he  implored  our  captain  to  fol 
low  them.  'I've  seen  'em,  boys,  run  seven  hours  clean 
off  the  trail  and  find  water.  For  God's  sake,  git  after 
'em,'  he  implored  to  our  commander.  So  we  tore  helter 
skelter  after  the  mules. 

"The  Mexican  cavalry  might  be  south  of  us,  but  we 
were  so  thirsty  we  thought  only  that  a  spring  might 
be  within  reach  of  us. 

"So  our  horses  loped  and  staggered  along  for  two 
hours,  when  the  mules  ran  plump  into  a  spring  of 
living  water.  I  could  no  more  have  held  my  bronco 
from  going  into  it  than  1  could  have  held  a  cannon  ball 
from  one  of  those  eighteen-pounder  guns  down  at  Cor 
pus  Christi. 

"As  our  mustangs  sprang  in  we  jumped  off  them, 
atv1  man  and  beast  drank  together  like  mad. 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  57 

"I  had  scarce  filled  myself,  and  I  think  I  took  about 
a  gallon,  when  Littell  clapped  me  on  the  shoulder 
and  whispered:  'Sharpe,  look!  See  what's  about 
us/ 

"Just  then  several  of  our  men  uttered  hoarse  cries, 
i  sprang  up  and  saw  that  we  had  ridden  into  the -scene 
of  an  almighty  tough  scrimmage,  but  had  been  so 
crazed  for  water  we  hadn't  noticed  it.  Dead  men  lay  all 
about  that  spring,  some  in  the  uniforms  of  the  Mexi 
can  lancers,  some  in  the  buckskin  of  the  trapper,  and 
one  dressed  in  store  clothes,  though  he  wore  high  boots 
and  leggings. 

"  'Ready,  boys,  Injuns!'  cried  our  leader. 

"  'Indians  ?  I  don't  see  any,'  I  half  laughed.  Out 
on  the  plain  there  was  no  cover  save  a  gully  half  a 
mile  away,  full  of  mesquite  brush  and  prickly  cactus. 

"  'Injuns,  sure,'  said  Littell.  'Look,  ye  little  green 
horn.  Every  dead  man  lying  around  here,  Greaser  or 
American,  has  been  scalped.' 

"Like  a  streak  we  were  in  the  saddle  and  recon 
noitred  that  plain  mighty  carefully,  though  we  kept 
half  a  dozen  men  about  the  spring,  for  we  knew 
that  would  be  the  vital  point  in  a  long  fight.  The 
crowd  that  had  water  must  whip. 

"All  our  scouts  returned  in  the  course  of  an  hour 
or  two  and  said  no  Indians'  signs  in  sight,  except  the 
trail  of  a  big  Comanche  war  party  that  had  apparently 
travelled  out  to  the  northwest,  probably  two  days  be 
fore. 

"So  we  went  to  doing  the  Christian  act  by  the 
dead  Americans.  The  Greasers  we  left  to  their  friends, 
the  vultures.  Though  we  examined  the  ground  care 
fully,  and  even  the  mesquite  chaparral,  not  a  sign  of 
dead  Indian  could  we  find  about.  The  four  men — there 
were  five  Americans  in  all — were  known  to  some  of 
our  command  as  buffalo  hunters.  The  man  in  store 


58  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

clothes  was  utterly  unknown  to  any  of  us.  He  was 
probably  some  mining  prospector  or  speculator  in 
lands,  because  the  only  things  we  could  find  in  his 
pockets  were  two  or  three  lumps  of  black  stuff,  the 
boys  allowed  must  be  coal,  and  a  surveyor's  chain  and 
compass.  I  suppose  the  varmints  left  them  fearing 
the  instruments  were  'Bad  Medicin.'  Everything  else 
had  been  taken  from  him  by  the  Indians  except  one 
of  those  little  golden  circles  that  I've  seen  on  so  many 
dead  men's  breasts  after  a  fight.  The  boys  don't  like 
to  look  at  them.  Those  who  know  what  they  mean 
never  tell.  Even  tough  old  Littell  turned  his  head 
away  when  he  saw  that  golden  sign  on  the  dead  man's 
body." 

"Is  it  like — like  this  one?"  asks  Miss  Godfrey,  pro 
ducing  the  little  circle  which  nearly  two  years  before 
in  Saratoga  had  perturbed  the  great  United  States 
Senator. 

"Exactly !"  returns  the  Texan  after  he  has  examined 
it  by  the  light  coming  from  the  open  window  of  the 
cabin.  "Where  did  you  get  this  ?"  he  asks  curiously. 

"It  was  one  my  mother  brought  with  her  from  Texas. 
She  said  my  father  wore  it  when  I  was  a  little  girl." 

"Yes,  many  of  those  who  have  come  to  us  from  the 
United  States  have  worn  'em,"  remarks  Hampton. 
"Most  people  in  Texas  don't  like  to  talk  about  'em, 
but  I  reckon  they  are  the  sign  of  some. great  secret  so 
ciety,  probably  only  political  in  its  ends,  certainly  not 
criminal,  for  some  of  the  bravest  and  noblest  men  who 
have  fallen  in  battle  for  Texas  have  borne  that  sym 
bol. 

"But  to  go  on  with  my  story,"  he  continues.  "As 
we  journeyed  down  the  Guadaloupe,  the  man  we 
had  found  in  the  butes  gradually  got  back  his  senses. 
During  this,  from  the  broken  words  he  gave  to  us 
from  time  to  time,  I  put  up  the  combat  around  that 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  59 

Rock  Springs — that's  what  they  call  it  now — about 
in  this  peculiar  and  weird  way. 

"That  spring  of  living  water,  twenty  Mexican  lan 
cers,  scouting  from  the  direction  of  Eagle  Pass  and 
the  Rio  Grande,  had  taken  possession  of.  The  six 
Texans  coming  from  the  other  way,  their  horses  worn 
out  by  heat  and  thirst,  themselves  made  desperate  by 
want  of  water — had  attacked.  For  apparently  the 
fight  had  been  made  by  the  twenty  Greasers  to  keep 
the  six  Americans  from  getting  a  taste  of  that  spring. 
The  combat  had  been  hand  to  hand ;  desperate,  bloody. 
Pistols  against  lances,  rifles  against  escopetas,  and 
bowie  knives  against  machetes.  Our  crowd  had  won, 
butchered  the  rancheros  to  a  man  though  all  of  the 
Americans  had  been  killed  except  the  crazy  fellow  we 
were  bringing  back  with  us.  But  here's  the  curious 
part  of  it.  While  this  combat  was  going  on,  fifty  Ind 
ians  in  war  paint,  coming  over  the  plain,  had  looked 
grimly  at  it  until  Greaser  and  white  man  had  gone 
down  together,  and  then  had  quietly  ridden  in  and 
scalped  the  dead,  made  ready  for  their  devilment.  But 
by  some  trick  of  the  frontier  or  act  of  Providence  they 
had  missed  this  one  man  who  had  flown  before  them 
and  somehow  escaped  and  got  down  into  the  butes 
where  we  had  found  him  just  in  time  to  save  his  life. 

"This  I  figured  out  from  the  position  of  the  bodies 
and  accoutrements  and  a  few  wandering  horses  sad 
dled  and  bridled  that  we  found  grazing  near  the  spring. 

"As  we  returned  down  the  Guadaloupe,  gradually 
the  man  recovered  his  senses  and  became  known  to  us 
by  the  papers  on  him ;  so  we  took  him  back  to  where 
he  belonged,  the  great  hacienda  of  Live  Oaks  below  San 
Antonio.  Here  a  new  horror  put  all  his  brains  back  in 
to  him,  for  we  found  the  adobe  buildings  had  been  gut 
ted  bv  General  Cos  and  his  Greasers  in  his  retreat,  and 


60  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

every  head  of  livestock  and  every  nigger  run  off,  and 
every  man  upon  it  massacred.  There  was  no  more 
life  at  the  hacienda  of  Live  Oaks  than  there  had  been 
life  at  the  lone  spring  upon  the  mesa  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  away,  except  a  'dog,  the  man  called  Pinto, 
who  came  to  him  and  licked  his  hand.  For  the  crazy 
demented  fugitive  we  had  picked  up  in  the  butes  was 
Jim  Godfrey — your  father." 

"I  had  guessed  this,"  whispers  Estrella  sadly.  "How 
he  must  have  suffered!"  Then  she  continues  in  anx 
ious  tone :  "You — you're  quite  sure  that  his  mind  was 
not  permanently  affected  in  any  way?" 

"Certainly,"  returns  the  Captain  decidedly.  "Your 
dad's  very  misfortunes  seemed  to  give  new  life  and 
energy  to  him.  The  moment  he  discovered  everyone 
was  dead  about  the  plantation,  that  it  had  been  entirely 
destroyed,  the  vigor  of  a  man  who  will  not  be  crushed 
seemed  to  come  into  him.  Even  while  we  rangers 
stood  about  the  ruined  hacienda,  your  father  with  in 
domitable  nerve,  was  already  taking  measures  to  build 
it  up  again.  Without  assistance,  he  dug  up  from  a 
place  where  it  had  been  concealed  in  the  masonry  of 
the  building,  a  chest  containing  not  only  his  business 
papers  but  a  large  quantity  of  money  in  United  States 
gold.  For  a  very  little  while,  I  think,  he  had  an  idea 
of  taking  this  money  and  leaving  the  plantation  and 
going  back  to  the  States,  but  that  was  only  for  an 
hour  or  two.  Even  when  our  scouts  came  in  and  re 
ported  that  the  Mexicans  had  run  off  every  nigger 
and  killed  every  white  man  on  the  plantation,  and 
that  there  was  not  a  living  thing  within  forty  miles 
of  us  except  wild  animals,  your  father  had  made  up 
his  mind  to  rebuild.  I  heard  him  say  to  Littell :  'Five 
hundred  thousand  acres  is  a  principality,  why  shouldn't 
I  stay  and  hold  it?' 


TH£  SPY  COMPANY.  61 

"Four  years  from  that  time,  chancing  to  be  on  a  scout 
on  the  Atascosa  with  Hays's  Rangers,  I  visited  Live 
Oaks.  I  found  it  rebuilt.  A  lot  of  new  niggers  pur 
chased  in  Louisiana  were  at  work  in  the  fields.  More 
white  settlers  brought  from  the  States  had  joined  your 
father.  Determined  not  to  have  it  destroyed  again, 
Jim  Godfrey  had  fortified  the  rancho  and  armed  it. 
In  proof  of  this  to-day  the  Hacienda  of  Live  Oaks  is 
the  only  inhabited  station  between  San  Antonio  and 
Corpus  Christi  with  the  exception  of  the  cabin  of  one 
family  of  life-in-their-hand  trappers  who  live  near 
Aranzas  Bay.  Your  father's  great  trouble  will  be  to 
get  you  to  his  rancho  safely.  But  probably  he  has 
brought  enough  of  his  followers  with  him  to  make 
your  journey  comparatively  secure,  especially  as  Tay 
lor's  projected  movement  to  the  Rio  Grande  will  oc 
cupy  all  the  Mexican  forces." 

"Ah,  you  make  me  very  happy,"  replies  his  listener, 
her  eyes  beaming.  "Every  word  you  have  uttered  has 
proclaimed  my  father's  devotion  to  me.  Even  with  his 
great  losses  and  destroyed  estate,  he  within  a  year  af 
terwards  sent  sufficient  money  for  my  mother's  and  my 
comfort  in  New  York  and  soon  after  enough  for  even 
my  luxury." 

"Very  well,  then  let's  take  the  trail  to  livelier  topics," 
suggests  the  Captain.  "The  darkies  are  singing  some 
plantation  melodies  in  the  steerage.  Would  you  like 
to  hear  them?"  for  sounds  of  the  banjo  are  floating 
over  the  soft  and  quiet  waters. 

"With  pleasure,"  remarks  the  young  lady,  and  un 
der  his  escort  strolls  forward  to  listen  to  "Oh,  Susan 
nah,"  "Nellie  Grey,"  and  "The  Arkansas  Traveller," 
and  see  a  big  darkey  roustabout  from  Louisiana  do 
a  terrific  double  shuffle  Levee  dance  on  the  hurricane 
deck. 


62  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

"You  like  music?"  she  asks  the  Captain. 

"Well,  yes,  possibly  because  I've  heard  so  very  little 
of  it.  You  know  I  never  listened  to  an  opera  until 
I  went  into  the  Academy  in  New  Orelans.  There  was  a 
soul  in  that  melody  which  made  my  eyes  water  and 
I'm  not  considered  about  here  by  the  Greasers  partic 
ularly  chicken  hearted.  Italian  music  about  a  trouba 
dour." 

"Ah !     Like  to  hear  some  Italian  melodies  to-night  ?" 

"From — from  your  lips?" 

"Oh,  I'm  not  a  prima  donna,  but  I  think  I  know 
some  of  the  songs  from  II  Trovatore  you  listened  to 
that  evening  in  New  Orleans." 

Miss  Godfrey  steps  into  the  cabin  and  gives  some 
directions  to  her  maid. 

A  few  moments  after  as  she  and  the  Captain  are 
seated  near  the  stern  of  the  boat,  Zelma  brings  to  her 
mistress  a  guitar. 

Then  Hampton,  as  he  expresses  it  to  himself,  "hears 
the  band  begin  to  play,"  and  thinks  that  Miss  Godfrey, 
singing  sweet  Italian  love  songs  in  the  moonlight,  beats 
the  New  Orleans  prima  donnas  all  to  flinders. 

"At  all  events,  her  melodies  make  me  luny,"  cogitates 
the  Texan  after  the  young  lady  has  gone  away  to  her 
cabin.  Then  he  abruptly  mutters :  "Where  in  thun 
der  have  I  seen  her  features  ?" 

Lighting  a  cigar  he  paces  the  deck,  turning  the 
thing  over  in  his  mind.  Finally  he  concludes  it  is  so 
long  ago  he  cannot  locate  it.  Yet  even  after  he  has 
turned  in,  as  he  lies  in  his  berth,  Miss  Godfrey's  radiant 
features  will  come  back  to  him. 

"The  face  I  remember  was  of  course,  not  so  pretty 
as  hers.  Jumping  mustangs,  nothing  could  be  as  pretty 
as  hers!"  he  thinks  half  dreamily,  as  he  tosses  on  the 
pillow.  Suddenly  he  gives  a  start,  shudders  slight- 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  63 

ly,  and  mutters :  "Snakes  and  'gators,  have  I  gone 
daft?  By  the  Eternal,  the  face  that  looked  like  hers 
had  been  scalped!" 


BOOK  II. 
TAYLOR'S  CAMP  AT  CORPUS  CHRISTI. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    MARCH    FOR   THE    .JO    GRANDE. 

The  next  morning  Miss  Godfrey  wakes  to  find  the 
steamer  anchored  in  the  bay  of  Corpus  Christi.  A 
dozen  other  vessels  are  about  the  City  of  Mobile, 
among  them,  two  small  gun  boats  and  a  revenue  cutter. 
To  her  astonishment  she  sees  they  all  have  steam  up. 
The  bustle  of  an  army  getting  ready  for  active  service 
is  on  the  water  as  well  as  on  the  land.  The  orderly 
lines  of  white  tents  and  log  cabins  of  four  thousand 
U.  S.  Regulars,  three  or  four  batteries  of  artillery,  the 
light  guns  placed  in  position,  the  heavy  guns  parked 
at  the  rear,  are  in  full  view.  As  Estrella  steps  on 
deck  the  reveille  sounding  from  half  a  dozen  fife  and 
drum  corps  comes  faintly  over  the  water.  The  flag 
is  being  hoisted  on  the  headquarters  flagstaff.  The 
whole  glorious  panoply  of  war  is  in  front  of  her.  She 
can  see  the  infantry  companies  forming  in  the  canvas- 
bordered  streets  though  there  are  no  signs  of  the  usual 
morning  drill. 

In  contrast  to  the  extreme  order  of  the  military  en 
campment,  outside  its  lines  on  the  lower  ground  nearer 
the  shore,  stands  a  disreputable  shanty  town  of  adobe 
huts,  clapboard  houses  and  even  dwellings  made  of 
(64) 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  65 

mesquite  boughs  and  branches,  and  Conestoga  wagons 
that  have  become  houses  on  wheels,  its  irregular  streets 
filled  with  the  refuse  of  that  shiftless  congregation 
which  always  clusters  about  an  army  in  its  winter 
quarters.  For  Taylor's  forces  have  occupied  Corpus 
Christi  for  nearly  five  months,  ample  time  to  gather 
about  his  well-ordered  command  not  only  those  on  di 
rect  business  for  the  Government  bringing  him  sup 
plies,  forage  and  ammunition,  but  also  the  thousand 
varied  sharks  and  harpies  that  live  upon,  prey  upon  and 
plunder  Uncle  Sam's  soldiers.  Consequently  in  this 
heterogeneous  congregation  of  buildings  are  seen  Mex 
ican  dance  halls,  with  painted  canvas  signs,  American 
gambling-houses  and  bar-rooms  where  aguardiente, 
mescal  and  "noyau"  together  with  bad  whiskey  that 
never  saw  Kentucky,  are  served  in  sufficient  quantities 
to  make  the  duties  of  the  provost  marshal  very  ardu 
ous  after  pay-day.  Of  course,  mingled  with  the  haunts 
of  vice  are  the  sirens  who  lure  the  soldiers  into  them. 

The  appearance  of  this  shanty  town  is  made  some 
what  picturesque  by  the  green  of  the  bough  manufac 
tured  huts  and  the  varied  patched  covers  of  the  Con 
estoga  wagons,  some  of  which  are  occupied  as  homes 
by  wandering  camp  followers  who  are  ready  to  hitch 
up  and  follow  along  as  soon  as  the  army  moves  to  the 
front. 

In  the  nearer  foreground,  right  on  the  shore,  stand  a 
few  very  plain  sheds  of  rough  lumber  and  adobe  ware 
houses  of  firms  doing  business  with  the  United  States 
Government.  Between  these  and  Estrella  are  the  blue 
waters  of  Corpus  Christi  Bay,  now  busy  with  marine 
life.  Apparently  some  movement  is  contemplated  for 
the  anchored  ships  and  steamers. 

Already  Miss  Godfrey  has  eaten  a  hasty  breakfast 
in  the  cabin,  and  attended  by  Zelma,  stands  eagerly 
awaking  disembarkation.  Gradually  her  mobile  fea- 


66  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

tures  become  shadowed  by  a  poignant  disappointment. 
She  had  hoped  that  her  father,  eager  as  she  for  meet 
ing,  might  come  off  in  a  shore  boat  to  greet  her.  But 
no  Jim  Godfrey  climbs  up  the  side  ladder.  So  she 
stands,  her  little  -foot  tapping  the  deck  impatiently, 
until  nearly  all  the  passengers  have  disembarked,  and 
tries  to  hide  her  chagrin  by  pretending  to  be  interested 
as  the  mules  are  swung  over  the  ship's  side  and  made 
to  swim  for  their  lives  to  the  shore,  though  a  tear  or 
two  will  dim  her  eyes. 

About  this  time  Captain  Hampton  says  quietly  at 
her  shoulder :  "Everything  is  ready  for  you,  Miss 
Godfrey.  McGowan  has  kindly  given  me  one  of  the 
cutters.  I've  got  your  baggage  in  it.  With  your  per 
mission,  can  I  assist  you  down  the  side  ladder?" 

"Not  until  I've  said  a  word  to  her,"  cries  the  skipper. 
Turning  for  a  moment  from  his  ship's  duties,  he  takes 
the  young  girl's  hands  in  his  and  says  cordially :  "My 
dear  young  lady,  even  if  you  meet  your  father  you  had 
better  remain  on  board  my  ship  with  him  until  he 
takes  you  to  his  rancho.  In  addition,  should  your 
father  not  be  in  that  rough  and  tumble  shanty  town' 
there,  my  advice  is  for  you  to  return  to  the  City  of 
Mobile.  Then  I'll  take  charge  of  you  and  put  you 
back  in  New  Orleans  and  civilization." 

"Thank  you,  but  I  shall  not  come  back,  Captain.  I 
am  going  to  see  my  father,  even  if  he  is  not  here,  even 
if  I  have  to  go  to  the  ranch,"  she  answers  determinedly. 
"He  may  have  mistaken  the  time  for  my  coming." 

"Then  you've  a  pretty  difficult  task  upon  your  hands, 
young  lady,"  remarks  the  skipper  glumly.  Tak 
ing  Hampton  aside,  he  whispers  a  few  hasty  words, 
and  Miss  Godfrey  catches  the  reply  in  low,  quiet  voice : 
"Leave  her  to  me,  McGowan.  I'll  see  that  she  gets 
in  her  dad's  arms." 

Somehow  this  gives  great  confidence  to  the  young 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  67 

lady.  She  is  in  such  good  spirits  as  she  permits 
herself  to  be  assisted  down  the  side  ladder  of  the 
ship  that  she  hardly  notices  that  an  army  boat  dashes 
up  to  it  and  a  staff  officer  in  undress  uniform  hastily 
passes  her  at  the  gangway  and  goes  into  consultation 
with  Captain  McGowan.  That  the  craft  does  not 
carry  a  Texan  planter  who  may  be  her  father  is  all 
that  concerns  her. 

Zelma  has  preceded  her  and  is  already  seated  with 
her  mistress's  hand  baggage  and  big  sunshade  on  one 
of  the  midship's  seats  of  the  cutter.  As  Hampton 
places  himself  beside  Miss  Godfrey  in  the  stern,  the 
mistress  notices  a  curious  austerity  in  his  face  as  he 
chances  to  gaze  at  her  octoroon  maid.  Once  when  he 
has  occasion  to  speak  to  Zelma,  his  words  are  curt 
and  the  tone  of  his  voice  is  severe. 

Wondering  at  this,  Estrella,  who  has  already  made 
up  her  mind  that  the  gentleman  at  her  side  has  a  kind 
heart,  and  furthermore  that  he  also  considers  himself 
altogether  too  great  a  gun  to  pay  much  attention  to 
the  doings  of  her  servant,  casts  her  eyes  over  Zelma 
to  see  if  there  is  anything  in  her  attendant's  manner  or 
appearance  that  has  caused  the  Captain's  condemna 
tion,  and  discovers  naught. 

Upon  this  journey  her  mistress  has  thought  it  wise, 
in  view  of  the  young  woman's  atractive  personality, 
to  keep  Zelma,  though  neatly,  very  plainly  dressed. 
This  morning  her  maid  would  be  unnoticeable  were  it 
not  impossible  to  hide  the  contours  of  a  delicate  yet 
slightly  voluptuous  Creole  figure  beneath  a  plain  black 
short-skirted  alpaca  frock  and  to  destroy  the  effect  of 
her  lustrous,  languid,  dark  eyes  by  having  the  glossy 
dark  masses  of  the  girl's  hair  braided  into  two  big 
disfiguring  pigtails. 

But  even  as  Miss  Godfrey  looks,  she  is  concerned 
to  notice  that  Zelma  under  Hampton's  glance  droops 


6g  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

her  eyes  in  an  almost  guilty  embarrassment,  and  her 
attendant's  manner  becomes  extraordinarily  confused. 

The  boat  having  reached  a  little  pile  landing  place, 
Hampton  springs  out  and  very  carefully  assists  Miss 
Godfrey  upon  its  rough  planking.  Zelma,  with  the 
hand  baggage,  has  been  passed  on  shore  by  the 
crew.  With  a  sharp  command  to  her  attendant : 
"Keep  close  behind  your  mistress,  girl,"  the  Texan  leads 
the  young  lady  through  a  short  street  which  has  been 
made  a  quagmire  by  the  v/heels  of  Government  wagons 
through  which  a  band  of  army  pack  mules  are  tramp 
ing,  splashing  the  black  Texas  mud  over  Estrella's  neat 
travelling  dress. 

"Can't  help  roughing  it  a  leetle,"  remarks  Hampton, 
reassuringly,  as  he  keeps  between  the  delicate  girl  and 
some  rough  teamsters,  and  escorts  her  very  carefully 
through  a  congregation  of  Mexican  packers,  for,  lured 
by  American  gold,  there  were  always  plenty  of  non- 
combatant  Greasers  in  the  rear  of  Uncle  Sam's  anny. 

During  this,  Estrella  cannot  help  glancing  at  the 
cavalier  who  is  taking  such  very  good  care  of  her.  A 
look  of  astonishment  is  in  her  face.  Sharpe  Hampton 
upon  the  land  is  almost  a  different  being  to  Sharpe 
Hampton  upon  the  sea.  His  air,  which  had  been 
rather  quietly  languid  on  shipboard,  has  'become  strik 
ingly  alert.  His  movements  seem  quick  as  a  wildcat's. 
This  wonderful  flexibility  is  easily  apparent  from  the 
costume  he  wears,  which  is  a  mixture  of  that  of  the 
prairies  and  that  of  the  parade  ground.  His  legs  are 
cased  in  buckskin  breeches  tight  as  if  they  were  his 
own  skin.  His  feet  are  in  moccasins.  A  short  buck 
skin  hunting  shirt  clothes  him  from  the  waist  up ;  over 
it  is  the  loose  undress  coat  of  a  volunteer  captain, 
his  rank  shown  by  a  couple  of  neat  shoulder  straps. 
A  Mexican  sombrero  tops  his  resolute  face,  and  instead 
of  a  sword,  he  wears  for  side  arms  in  his  belt  a  buck- 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  69 

horn-handled  bowie  knife  and  a  pair  of  six-shooting 
Colt's  dragoon  pistols,  deadly  as  a  rifle  at  a  hundred 
yards. 

Though  his  legs  are  slightly  bowed  from  constant 
horse  exercise,  his  pace  is  so  rapid  that  twice  he  has  to 
stop  and  accommodate  his  steps  to  those  of  the  pretty 
feet  which  are  striving  to  keep  up  with  him.  Under 
his  guidance  the  party  soon  stand  in  front  of  a  little 
clapboard  shanty  labeled  by  a  canvas  sign :  "Branch 
Office,  Martin  Best  &  Co.,  New  York."  This  the 
young  lady  enters  with  a  very  eager  look  upon  her  face 
to  receive  astonishment  and  afterwards  dismay. 

A  clerk,  who  would  be  dapper  were  his  shirt  not  cov 
ered  with  whiskey  stains  and  his  sleeves  not  rolled  up 
to  his  elbows,  looks  carelessly  up  from  some  bills  of 
lading,  and,  seeing  this  goddess  of  beauty  and  fashion, 
lakes  off  a  battered  straw  hat  and  ejaculates  under  his 
breath  :  "Gee  cracky !" 

As  she  mentions  her  name  he  bows  effusively  and 
says  deferentially :  "I'm  mighty  sorry,  Miss  Godfrey, 
but  there's  been  a  terrific  mistake  up  to  our  Galveston, 
office.  We  sent  a  letter  there  that  your  father  had  got 
word  to  us  that  he  would  be  up  the  coast  at  Mata- 
gorda  to  meet  you,  not  Corpus  Christi.  As  soon  as 
we  got  it  we  forwarded  his  instructions  on  the  Padu- 
cah." 

"Oh,  mercy,  the  Paducah  broke  her  shaft.       We 
passed  her  outside  of  Galveston  Harbor.     That  letter 
reached  there  after  I  left.     What  am  I  to  do?" 
"Well,  your  father's  at  Matagorda." 
"Can  I  get  transportation  to  Matagorda  ?" 
"No;  I  am  sorry  to  tell  you  all  the  steamboats  go 
back  direct  to  Galveston,"  replies  the  clerk. 

"Then  what  am  I  to  do  ?     I  must  see  my  father." 
Her  escort,  who  has  not  intruded  himself  upon  this 
interview,  is  standing  outside  the  door,  looking  medi- 


70  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

tatively  at  a  sutler's  boy  trying  to  conquer  a  wayward 
bronco.  She  steps  out  to  him  and,  hastily  explaining 
the  matter,  says,  consternation  in  her  voice  :  "Captain 
Hampton,  I  am  in  a  fearful  dilemma.  What  am  I  to 
do?" 

"You  want  very  much  to  see  your  father  ?" 

"Oh,  so  much.  Think,  I  haven't  looked  on  him  ever 
in  my  life  to  know  him." 

"Well,  the  most  sensible  way  would  be  for  you  to 
stay  here  until  you  can  get  carried  back  to  Galveston. 
Some  vessel  in  a  few  days  must  be  returning  up  the 
coast.  From  there  send  word  to  your  father  and  let 
him  visit  you  at  that  place." 

"I  don't  think  he  can  come.  He  is  too  busy.  He 
has  a  large  number  of  Government  contracts.  He 
furnishes  horses  for  the  volunteer  regiments  they  ex 
pect  to  raise  in  Texas,  also  the  Mounted  Rifles." 

"Yes,  I  know  that."  Then,  after  a  moment's  con 
sideration,  Hampton  adds  :  "I  think  your  father  made 
up  his  mind  it  would  not  be  possible  to  get  through 
to  Corpus  Christi  with  his  scalp.  That's  the  reason 
he  didn't  come  here." 

"But  I  must  go  to  him." 

"I  understand  your  ideas  on  that  point.  Believe 
me,  you  shall  see  him,  though  I  may  have  to  make  ar 
rangements  that  you  go  by  schooner  to  Matagorda. 
At  all  events,  for  the  present  the  best  place  for  you 
is  on  board  of  McGowan's  steamboat." 

Her  trunks  are  being  carried  into  the  office  of  Mar 
tin,  Best  &  Co.  by  some  negro  roustabouts.  To  them 
he  says :  "Leave  these  here  for  the  present."  To  the 
young  lady  he  suggests :  "Let  your  maid  carry  your 
hand  baggage,  and  I  will  trot  you  down  to  the  shore 
again  and  get  you  on  board  at  once."  Then  the  tears 
of  disappointment  in  her  beautiful  eyes  draw  from 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  71 

him:  "Only  take  the  word  of  Sharpe  Hampton  that 
in  some  way  or  other  you  shall  see  your  father!" 

As  they  pass  through  the  clustering  roustabouts  and 
Government  teamsters  near  the  shore  of  the  bay  a  buzz 
of  commotion  and  excitement  seems  to  pervade  the 
shanty  town.  Hampton  apparently  doesn't  heed  this, 
though  when  he  gets  to  the  landing  place  a  short,  sharp 
gun  from  one  of  the  warships  calls  from  him  a  sudden 
exclamation.  He  says,  shading  his  eyes  and  looking 
over  the  waters  of  the  bay :  "Great  thunder,  look, 
every  vessel  in  the  harbor  is  going  out  of  it !" 

"Even  the  City  of  Mobile"  whispers  Estrella,  dis 
may  in  her  voice. 

"By  golly,  if  de  whole  flock  of  'em  ain't  tooten'  down 
to  P'int  Isabella  to  wait  dere  til  der  Greasers  is  licked 
out,"  guffaws  a  half-clothed  negro  sutler's  boy,  who  is 
looking  at  the  picture  with  two  or  three  equally  un 
dressed  companions. 

"What  does  it  mean?"  asks  the  girl,  faintly,  feeling 
that  this  nautical  movement  affects  her  destiny. 

As  she  speaks  the  soft  notes  of  the  bugles  float 
through  the  quiet  air  from  the  distant  camp. 

"Mean?"  cries  the  young  Texan,  the  fire  of  battle 
making  his  eyes  flash  and  bringing  the  blood  into  his 
cheeks.  "Those  transports  all  ordered  down  the  coast ; 
those  bugles  from  the  army  lines  sounding  'boots  and 
saddles!'  By  the  Lord,  it  means  at  last  Taylor  is 
marching  on  the  Rio  Grande.  My  Heaven,  I've  got 
to  get  back  like  blazes  to  San  Antonio  and  bring  the 
boys  on  quick." 

The  bugles  from  the  distant  camp  sound  again  and 
Miss  Godfrey,  looking  up  dismayed,  notices  that  the 
veins  in  her  escort's  forehead  stand  out  and  his  eyes 
are  turned  eagerly  southward. 

"Captain  Hampton,  I'm  afraid  your  care  of  me  will 
keep  you  from  your  military  duties,"  says  Estrella,  fal- 


72  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

teringly.  "Leave  me  at  the  office  of  Martin,  Best  & 
Co.  That  clerk  is  a  gentleman.  He  will  do  all  he  can 
for  the  daughter  of  Jim  Godfrey,  one  of  their  most 
valuable  customers." 

"Leave  you  here ;  the  army  going  from  it ;  in  this 
disreputable,  teamster,  camp-follower  gambling  hole?" 
he  glances  over  the  rough  town. 

"Then  couldn't  you  get  some  Mexicans  to  escort  me 
to  my  father's  ranch  ?" 

"Greasers  to  keep  you  from  Comanches?"  half  jeers, 
half  shudders  Hampton.  "Don't  doubt  those  red  devils 
know  the  men  of  Texas  are  going  to  the  front,  and  are 
already  trailing  down  over  the  plains  to  jump  each  un 
protected  ranch-house.  Come  with  me.  I've  got  to 
go  up  to  Taylor's  camp,  anyway.  There  may  be  some 
wives  of  officers  left  who  can  take  care  of  you  for  the 
moment." 

As  he  speaks  the  Texan  is  striding  hurriedly  along 
the  muddy  street  of  this  purlieus  of  the  army.  Two 
minutes  after  he  is  at  what  proudly  calls  itself  a  livery 
stable,  and  is  assisting  the  boys  to  hitch  a  couple  of 
mustangs  into  a  second-hand  army  ambulance,  buckling 
strap  and  throwing  on  harness  himself. 

Upon  the  front  seat  of  this  vehicle  he  seats  Zelma, 
tossing  in  her  mistress's  light  baggage  after  her.  With 
much  more  care  he  assists  to  the  back  seat  Miss  God 
frey.  Springing  beside  her.  he  says  sharply  to  a  nigger 
boy,  who  has  jumped  in  front  and  is  handling  the  reins : 
"Drive  lively  to  Taylor's  headquarters,  Sambo!" 

So  they  dash  up  the  muddy  street,  splattering  the 
black  mold  upon  several  half-breed  camp  women,  who 
are  out  looking  for  victims,  one  or  two  white-shirted 
gamblers  who  are  strolling  towards  the  martial  music, 
and  "Monte  Juan,"  a  Mexican  card  sharper,  who  would 
mutter  a  "Carajo!"  as  they  pass  him  by — did  he  not 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  73 

recognize  and  remember  Captain  Sharpe  Hampton  of 
Hays's  Rangers. 

As  they  drive  up  to  headquarters  martial  music 
breaks  out  upon  the  sunny  air.  "See,  the  advance  is 
beginning,"  whispers  Hampton,  his  eyes  glinting  as 
he  points  toward  the  parade  ground,  where  the  regi 
ments  are  now  drawn  up ;  their  tents,  already  struck, 
have  been  put  into  the  baggage-wagons,  whtch  are 
clustering  to  follow  them. 

Already  the  movement  is  in  progress ;  Taylor  and  his 
staff  are  reviewing  the  advance  column  of  his  army 
that  he  is  projecting  on  the  Rio  Grande,  that  stream 
the  approach  to  which  the  Mexican  Government  has 
said  means  war. 

A  squadron  of  Thornton's  Dragoons  trotting  with 
clattering  sabres  forms  the  advance  guard.  Immedi 
ately  after  rides  the  leader  of  the  column,  Colonel 
Twiggs,  followed  by  his  staff,  hard-riding,  dashing, 
young  officers  of  fine  bearing,  but  dressed  in  fatigue 
uniforms  and  rigged  out  for  service,  not  display.  Then 
with  slashing  route  step  come  three  regiments  of  in 
fantry,  their  bands  playing,  their  men  cheering.  After 
them  roll  the  light  batteries,  their  gallant  commander, 
that  superb  artilleryman,  Ringgold,  riding-  ahead  of  his 
guns,  his  eyes  vivid  with  the  anticipation  of  battle 
and  victory,  gallant  eyes  that  two  months  hence  shall 
close  in  death  on  the  blood-stained  field  of  Palo  Alto. 

All  through  the  ranks  are  faces  radiant  with  hope 
of  successful  war,  and  many  with  thought  of  happy  re 
turn  honored  with  victory  to  their  loved  ones  in  the 
far  North  States.  But  this  morning  all  eyes  are  turned 
southward,  not  to  face  about  until  they  have  borne  the 
American  colors  proudly  over  the  Cordilleras  and  plant 
ed  them  victorious  on  the  capital  of  Mexico.  Many  of 
them  will  never  turn  north  again  ;  boys  who  have  kissed 
their  sweethearts  for  the  last  time ;  husbands  who  shall 


74  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

look  no  more  in  this  world  upon  wives'  faces;  men 
whose  mothers  shall  wait  for  them  by  the  home  fireside 
in  vain. 

Yet  all  go  cheering  buoyantly  along  as  if  they  were 
striding  to  fete,  not  to  battle.  For  five  months'  waiting 
in  this  kennel  of  Corpus  Christi  has  made  Uncle  Sam's 
war  dogs  very  eager,  now  that  the  leash  has  been  taken 
from  them,  to  spring  at  Mexican  throats. 

The  column  disappears  in  the  distance,  the  dust  of 
their  foot-tracks  drifts  away,  but  the  United  States 
with  the  footsteps  of  this  marching  column  has  begun 
one  of  its  greatest  territorial  advances.  Before  those 
battle-flags  are  furled  Uncle  Sam  will  absorb  Texas, 
California,  and  all  that  great  territory  that  now  per 
mits  him  to  span  the  continent  with  half  a  dozen  lines 
of  steel  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  so  on  to 
the  commerce  of  the  Far  East ;  a  national  development 
without  which  the  great  Yankee  nation's  destiny  would 
have  been  inefficient,  incomplete,  absurd. 

As  usual,  quite  a  congregation  of  onlookers  have 
inspected  the  departing  troops.  One  of  them  a 
smooth-tongued,  timid-looking  hospital  clerk,  remarks  : 
"Gee !  When  they  hear  the  news  up  in  the  States, 
won't  they  give  poor  old  Rough-and-Ready  Taylor 
hell  for  this?" 

"Yes,  the  PRESIDENCY  !"  answers  a  long-headed,  cool 
Government  commissariat  contractor,  spitting  some 
tobacco  juice  in  the  dust. 

But  the  hospital  clerk  guessed  right,  as  well  as  the 
contractor.  National  expansion,  as  usual,  was  opposed 
by  a  certain  number  of  the  American  people,  who  cried 
out:  "Conquest,  blood  and  Imperialism!"  and,  not 
satisfied  with  attacking  the  Government  at  Washington, 
inaugurated  an  assault  upon  the  army  of  this  country 
from  the  rear,  doing  more  damage  to  it  than  the  foes 
in  front  of  it.  For  American  soldiers  have  usuallv  been 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  75 

very  successful-  in  meeting  open  opponents,  steel  to 
steel,  and  gun  to  gun,  though  their  officers  have  some 
times  suffered  wofully  from  cowardly  assassins  of  their 
characters  who  have  assailed  them  in  the  rear,  and  who 
even  in  the  halls  of  Congress  have  cried  out  with  a 
simplicity  that  would  be  ludicrous  were  it  not  horrible : 
"Great  heavens,  our  cruel  soldiers  are  defending  their 
lives  and  killing  somebody!" 

But  the  American  nation,  despite  their  puny  pro 
tests,  still  marches  ever  on,  as  it  did  in  1846,  in  the 
days  of  Winfield  Scott,  Zachary  Taylor  and  the  Mex 
ican  War. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
"THE  GOLIAD  HOUSE." 

During  this  Miss  Godfrey's  eyes  have  rested  much 
oftener  upon  the  face  of  the  Texan  sitting  next  hei 
than  upon  the  military  panorama  that  has  passed  be 
fore  her.  As  regiment  after  regiment  has  passed  him, 
and  battery  after  battery  of  light  artillery  has  rum 
bled  on,  she  has  seen  a  flush  of  shame  mingled  with 
the  light  of  battle  coming  into  the  clean-cut,  Roman 
features  beside  her.  She  has  observed  that  his  clenched 
hands  indicate  some  absorbing  emotion,  and  that  his 
thin  lips  which  utter  no  words  grow  thinner  in  com 
pression. 

A  sinking  dread  comes  into  the  girl's  heart  as  she 
notices  the  Berserker  spirit  rising  in  the  only  man  to 
whom  she  can  turn  for  protection  in  her  extremity. 
For  as  she  has  ridden  through  the  narrow  byways  of 
the  sutlers'  town  she  has  seen  sights  that  make  her 
frightened  to  be  left  alone  in  it ;  deeply  rouged  Mex 
ican  pobretas,  sitting  in  the  easy  dishabille  of  the  trop- 


76  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

ics  in  front  of  their  houses  smoking  their  cigarettes 
and  waving  their  fans  at  passers-by;  low  barrooms, 
out  of  which  have  strolled  the  scum  of  the  army 
following,  gamblers,  three-card-monte  men  and  sharp 
ers.  In  addition,  several  painted  Anglo-Saxon  cour 
tesans  have  made  her  shudder. 

Finally,  as  the  tramp  of  the  departing  column  dies 
away,  as  the  last  glimmer  of  arms  is  lost  in  the  sur 
rounding  forest,  a  mighty  emotion  seems  to  shake  this 
man,  and  Estrella  knows  that  he  for  the  moment  has 
forgotten  her  in  the  excitement  of  coming  battle.  For 
Sharpe  Hampton  half  rises  in  the  ambulance,  his  face 
red  as  blood  with  shame,  the  veins  in  his  forehead 
swollen  almost  to  bursting,  and  mutters  in  abased 
voice :  "By  the  God  of  my  fathers,  not  one  Texan  in 
the  whole  durned  outfit !"  Then,  speaking  to  himself, 
he  breaks  out  rapidly :  "I  must  get  on  to. San  Antonio 
at  once.  The  boys  must  be  here  before  the  first  battle 
or  it  would  disgrace  our  State  forever." 

"Oh,  don't  let  me  detain  you,"  says  the  girl,  proudly, 
though  her  heart  is  heavy. 

Apparently  awakening  from  a  dream,  the  light  of 
battle  leaves  his  eyes,  which  grow  tender.  To  her  he 
replies:  "You  won't  detain  me  from  my  duty." 

"And  why  not?" 

"Because  my  duty  is,  like  that  of  any  other  soldier, 
to  see  that  everything  is  all  right  in  the  rear  before 
he  charges  to  the  front."  With  this  Hampton  looks 
eagerly  over  the  parade  ground,  which  is  now  a  scene 
of  busy  activity.  The  General  has  gone  back  to  staff 
business  in  his  log  cabin  headquarters,  another  column 
leaves  the  next  morning.  Preparations  are  now  being 
hastily  made  for  this ;  commissary  officers  are  busy  with 
equipment  and  ordnance  stores;  aides-de-camp  are 
riding  about  and  giving  orders ;  baggage- wagons  being 
ladened. 


THE  SPY  COMPANY.  77 

But  the  Ranger's  eyes  are  not  upon  this  military 
bustle.  After  a  hasty  glance  over  the  heterogeneous 
throng  which  crowd  along  the  lines  of  the  parade 
ground  he  scans  intently  the  log  cabins  of  the  offi 
cers'  quarters,  and  seeing  no  lady's  face  except  the 
anxious  one  that  is  beside  him,  he  mutters:  "There 
— there  doesn't  seem  to  be  a  single  officer's  wife 
about,"  then  continues  rapidly  to  Miss  Godfrey : 
"You're  perfectly  safe  here.  Remain  still  while  I  go  to 
headquarters.  The  General  will  probably  have  some 
thing  to  say  to  me  about  bringing  on  the  Texan  troops. 
While  there  I'll  see  what  can  be  done  for  your  accom 
modation  and  your  return  to  Galveston." 

As  he  springs  out  of  the  ambulance  his  eye  catches 
a  group  of  their  fellow-passengers  of  the  City  of  Mo 
bile,  and  he  says  sharply  to  Zelma :  "Girl,  take  good 
care  of  your  mistress,  and  don't  dare  to  leave  her  side." 

Noting  his  tone,  Estrella  asks  anxiously  of  her  at 
tendant  :  "Zelma,  what  is  the  reason  Captain  Hamp 
ton  is  so  displeased  with  you  ?" 

"I — I  don't  know,  Madame,"  stammers  the  young 
woman,  though  her  eyes  are  turned  from  those  of  her 
mistress. 

"You're  quite  certain?"  says  Miss  Godfrey.  De 
spite  herself  her  voice  is  rather  cold  as  she  steps  from 
the  wagon  and  directs  her  maid :  "Please  jump  out, 
Zelma,  and  brush  some  of  this  frightful  dust  from  me." 

In  the  ambulance  Miss  Godfrey  had  been  scarcely 
noticed,  but  as  she  steps  upon  the  parade  ground,  the 
only  lady  on  it,  her  graceful  figure  and  stylish  costume 
produce  a  quick  sensation,  even  among  the  older  faces 
about  Taylor's  headquarters.  Among  the  younger 
officers  a  hundred  bright  eyes  are  placed  directly  upon 
her,  and  half  a  hundred  moustachios  are  suddenly 
curled  to  make  their  effect  upon  beauty. 
.  With  this  a  dashing  lieutenant  in  dragoon  uniform 


78  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

rapidly  wheels  his  horse,  gallops  to  her  and,  doffing 
his  fatigue  cap,  says:  "Is  it  possible?  Can  it  be?" 

And  she  replies:  "It  is,"  adding,  with  perhaps  a 
tinge  of  coquetry  in  her  tone,  "I  am  glad  to  see  that  I 
haven't  changed  so  much  since  Saratoga  that  you've 
forgotten  me,  Mr.  Pelham." 

The  young  man,  bending  over  his  saddle  bow,  whis 
pers:  "Forget  you?  Never."  Then  he  breaks  out : 
"Why  in  God's  name  have  you  come  to  this  place  now  ? 
Every  lady  by  order  was  sent  north  a  week  ago  on  the 
Paducah,"  and  springs  off  his  charger  to  hold  con 
sultation  with  this  beautiful  derelict  from  civilization 
in  the  camp  of  an  army  that  is  now  practically  in  active 
campaign. 

As  he  walks  by  her  side  Miss  Godfrey  gives  the 
young  man  an  epitome  of  the  circumstances  that  have 
brought  her  to  Corpus  Christi,  closing  it  by  murmur 
ing,  rather  roguishly :  "I  am  very  sorry  you  think  it 
unfortunate." 

"Unfortunate!  At  any  other  time  I  should  say  it 
was  more  than  good  luck,"  answers  Pelham,  enthusi 
astically,  his  eyes  lingering  on  the  beauties  of  the  girl 
that  he  thought  enchanting  in  Saratoga,  but  which 
have  been  made  overpowering  by  the  development  of 
the  last  two  years.  "Only  a  week  ago  I  could  have 
done  so  much  for  you  here,"  he  says,  earnestly,  but 
disconcertedly.  "My  mother,  who  had  come  down  to 
see  me,  only  left  on  the  Paducah.  You  wouldn't  have 
made  this  mistake  if  you  had" — he  looks  at  her  ear 
nestly — "ever — ever  cared  to  write  to  me.  But  now 
I  don't  know  what  I'm  going  to  do  for  you.  My 
squadron,  May's  Dragoons,  are  here  acting  as  provost 
guard  and  in  general  attendance  at  headquarters.  But 
even  we  take  route  to-morrow  morning.  When  the 
army  ceases  to  patrol  that  wretched,  cattle-thief,  gam 
bler,  riff-raff,  shanty-town  down  there,  I  don't  know 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  79 

what  will  happen  in  it,"  remarks  the  Lieutenant,  ap 
prehension  running  over  his  face  as  he  looks  upon  the 
delicate  waif  from  civilization.  "You  say  Captain 
Sharpe  Hampton  of  the  Texan  Rangers  has  you  in 
his  charge?"  he  continues.  "From  what  we've  heard 
of  him  since  we've  been  in  Southern  Texas,  I  should 
think  Providence  has  picked  out  for  you  about  the 
best  man  in  these  regions  to  see  you  very  safe." 

This  conference  is  interrupted  by  the  return  of 
Hampton.  The  handsome  young  dragoon  strolling  by 
the  side  of  his  charge  has  perhaps  quickened  the  Tex 
an's  steps. 

"Captain  Hampton,"  says  Estrella,  in  answer  to  his 
inquiring  glance,  "let  me  present  Lieutenant  Pelham 
of  May's  Dragoons." 

The  young  men  greet  each  other  cordially,  Sharpe 
remarking :  "From  the  reputation  of  your  command 
er,  Mr.  Pelham,  I  am  inclined  to  think  your  squadrons 
will  be  heard  from  as  soon  as  the  campaign  begins." 
To  this,  after  a  moment's  consideration,  he  adds: 
"You've  been  located  here  some  little  time.  Will  you 
excuse  a  few  hasty  questions?  I  am  told  that  the 
officers'  wives  have  all  been  sent  from  this  camp,  which 
will  Be  practically  deserted  to-morrow.  Do  you  know 
of  any  proper  place  in  which  I  can  leave  Miss  Godfrey 
until  I  can  make  some  arrangements  for  her  safe  trans 
portation  to  Matagorda  ?" 

At  this  the  Lieutenant,  after  looking  helpless  for  a 
moment,  says :  "I  expect  the  only  place  you  can  get 
lodging  for  Miss  Godfrey — and  that's  bad  enough — is 
in  the  Goliad  House."  He  points  down  the  narrow 
dirty  street  leading  from  the  camp  towards  the  em- 
barcadero.  "It's  a  God-forjsaken  hole  with  a  faro 
bank  in  one  corner  of  it  every  night  on  the  lower  floor ; 
but  it's  the  only  place." 


80  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

He  has  just  given  this  information  when  an  orderly 
rides  up,  and,  saluting,  delivers  a  hurried  order. 

Receiving  this,  the  young  officer  remarks,  his  face 
twitching  with  disappointment:  "I'm  ordered  to  im 
mediately  escort  a  wagon  of  medical  supplies  that  have 
been  left  behind  and  deliver  them  to  the  Chief  Surgeon 
of  Twiggs's  column.  I'd  hoped,  Miss  Godfrey,  to  ride 
down  to  the  town  with  you  and  do  my  best  to  make  you 
comfortable,  but  the  order  is  immediate.  Good-bye 
for  the  moment.  As  soon  as  I've  delivered  Colonel 
Twiggs's  quinine  and  calomel  I'll  come  to  the  Goliad 
House  to  see  you.  That's  where  you're  going  to  take 
her,  Captain  Hampton  ?" 

"Yes,"  replies  the  Texan.  "I  suppose  it's  the  only 
thing  I  can  do  now;  all  the  officers'  ladies  have  gone 
north." 

"Then  this  little  note  from  the  Assistant  Provost- 
Marshal  here,  who  is  your  humble  servant,  to  Him 
Jones,  who  is  proprietor  of  the  house,  I  think  will  suc 
ceed  in  getting  you  anything  that's  in  it,"  remarks  the 
Lieutenant.  Hastily  penciling  a  few  lines  in  his  mem 
orandum  book,  he  tears  the  page  out  and  hands  it  to 
Hampton. 

"Thank  you.  I'll  deliver  it,"  remarks  the  Texan,  as 
he  turns  to  the  wagon. 

"Good-bye,  Miss  Godfrey,"  whispers  Pelham, 
more  in  his  voice  than  in  his  words:  "I'll  be  back 
and  see  you  this  evening  certainly."  He  squeezes  the 
little  fingers  held  out  for  his  salute,  springs  on  his 
horse  and  gallops  away. 

As  the  dragoon  has  been  bidding  the  young  lady 
good-bye  the  Ranger  has  been  giving  some  orders  to 
their  negro  driver,  and  the  minute  Estrella  and  her 
maid  are  seated  in  the  carriage  he  rides  with  them  into 
the  town. 

During  this  he  is  speaking  rapidly.     "At  headquar- 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  8 1 

t 

ters  I  received  a  note  that  had  been  sent  me  there  from 
the  City  of  Mobile.  McGowan  is  very  much  con 
cerned  that  his  vessel  was  ordered  down  to  Point  Isa 
bella  immediately  so  that  he  could  not  offer  you  the 
hospitality  of  his  ship.  The  extra  equipment  for 
Hays's  regiment  that  I  bought  in  New  Orleans,  he 
writes  me,  has  been  put  hastily  on  shore  in  a  lighter. 
Landing  and  storing  this  will  probably  delay  me  here 
the  balance  of  this  day.  During  it  I  am  going  to  try 
and  find  a  craft  of  some  kind  that  will  take  you  up  to 
Matagorda,  for  you  must  absolutely  leave  here  by 
water." 

"What  makes  you  think  that  so  very  important?" 
asks  Estrella. 

"Well,  from  what  I  picked  up  at  Taylor's  head 
quarters,  that  Mexican  scoundrel,  Carrabijol,*  has  had 
the  impudence  to  come  up  here,  even  during  this  last 
day  or  two,  and  sound  the  old  General  as  to  whether 
he  would  use  United  States  troops  to  support  him  in 
organizing  a  revolution  in  the  northern  Mexican 
States,"  replies  Hampton,  earnestly.  "Of  course,  it 
didn't  take  long  for  old  'Rough  and  Ready'  to  have 
the  Mexican  bandit  hustled  out  of  his  camp.  But  if 
Carrabijol  has  been  here,  it  doesn't  take  two  guesses 
to  be  very  sure  that  his  master  Canales  isn't  very  far 
off  over  that  prairie,"  he  points  to  the  west,  "with  a 
band  of  rancheros.  Now  Taylor,  having  commenced 
his  march,  Canales  will  move  north  to  harass  the  Tex 
an  settlements.  It  would  be  but  a  toss-up  as  to 
whether  you  had  better  fall  into  this  bandit's  clutches 
or  Comanche  hands.  Therefore,  I  must  make  arrange- 


*  "Carrabijol,  the  lieutenant  of  Canales  (the  great  Mexican 
bandit  of  the  Rio  Grande),  visited  Taylor's  camp  at  Corpus 
Christito  try  and  induce  the  American  General  to  support  him 
in  a  revolution  against  the  Mexican  General  Government." — 
Our  Army  at  Monterey,  by  J.  B.  Thorpe. 


82  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

ments  for  you  to  depart  by  water.  While  I  do  this 
I've  got  to  leave  you  with  Him  Jones  of  the  Goliad 
House.  This  note  from  the  Lieutenant,  I  imagine, 
will  fix  it  all  right ;  but  if  Him  Jones  is  the  Him  Jones 
I  used  to  know  in  Goliad  a  word  from  me  will  make 
you  very  safe  with  him.  Him  Jones  won't  hesitate  to 
run  a  faro  bank,  but  he'll  run  it  square  every  deal." 

By  this  time  they  have  drawn  up  in  front  of  a  clap 
board  hotel  of  two  low  stories,  whose  canvas  sign  over 
topping  its  roof  bears  the  words:  "Goliad  House." 
Its  ground  floor  is  devoted  to  a  bar  and  billiard  room, 
though  a  flight  of  rough  steps  outside  the  building 
leads  to  its  second  story,  which  has  a  balcony  in  front 
of  it. 

"Just  wait  in  the  wagon  until  I  see  the  proprietor," 
directs  Hampton,  springing  out. 

A  minute  later  he  comes  back  to  her,  assists  her 
carefully  from  the  wagon,  and,  telling  the  maid  to 
bring  her  mistress's  belongings  with  her,  leads  Miss 
Godfrey  up  this  rickety  stairway  to  the  second  story. 

At  the  door  of  this  they  are  welcomed  by  a  hawk- 
nosed,  alligator- jawed  man  in  shirt-sleeves,  who  in  re 
sponse  to  Hampton's  remark :  "Jones,  this  is  the 
young  lady  you  are  to  take  mighty  good  care  of  in  my 
absence,"  pulls  his  forelock  and  says :  "Captain,  she'll 
be  ace  high  all  the  time  in  this  house." 

Then  the  girl  finds  herself  led  through  a  narrow  and 
uncarpeted  hallway  and  ushered  into  two  back  rooms, 
both  having  cot  beds  in  them  and  some  cheap  pine  fur 
niture. 

"They're  not  very  scrumptious,"  remarks  Mr.  Jones, 
"but  there  ain't  as  much  noise  in  'em  as  the  front  dom 
iciles.  And  in  'em,  baring  skeeters,  you  can  be  as  lone 
ly  as  if  you  were  in  the  State  Prison." 

"That's  what  I  want,"  says  the  young  lady.  "Thank 
you,  Mr.  Jones,  I  shall  be  very  comfortable  here." 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  83 

She  looks  out  on  the  enlivening  prospect  of  Mr. 
Jones's  backyard,  where  a  couple  of  razor-back  hogs 
are  rubbing  themselves  against  the  poles  that  support 
the  building,  and  two  or  three  more  are  rooting  in  the 
swill  that  has  been  chucked  out  of  the  pleasant  kitchen 
of  the  Goliad  House  by  the  fat  negro  woman  who  acts 
as  its  chef  de  cuisine. 

Some  odor  of  coming  meal  catching  Hampton's  nos 
trils,  he  glances  at  his  watch  and  says :  "While  I'm 
away,  Him,  you  see  this-young  lady  has  dinner." 

"Yes,  sirree;  prairie-chicken  fixins  and  wild  turkey 
notions,"  replies  Him,  eager  to  offer  frontier  hos 
pitality. 

"She'd  better  have  it  served  in  her  room.  Her  maid 
can  bring  it  up  to  her,"  suggests  the  Ranger.  "Now, 
Miss  Godfrey,  I'll  see  what  I  can  do  to  get  some  kind 
of  a  boat  to  take  you  up  the  coast  again." 

With  this  he  leaves  the  room.  Catching  a  glance  of 
his  eye,  Him  Jones  follows  him.  Out  of  earshot,  in  the 
front  of  the  hotel,  Hampton  says  a  few  hasty  words 
to  the  innkeeper, 

"What,  that  bang-up  twenty-five-hundred-dollar, 
slick  as  camp-meeting  piece  of  feminine  flesh  and 
blood?"  mutters  Him  sternly.  "This  is  a  purty  good 
place  to  run  niggers  off,  and  I'll  keep  an  eye  on  the 
wench." 

As  the  Texan  Ranger  strides  down  the  street  the 
hotel  keeper  emits  a  contemplative  whistle,  and  says  to 
himself:  "Great  alligators,  who'd  have  thought  that 
French  China  doll  who  wears  silk  stockin's  and  high- 
heeled  slippers  would  need  a  cuttin'  up."  Then  even 
Him  Jones's  hard  features  become  perturbed  as  he 
ejaculates :  "Cracky,  I  wouldn't  be  in  that  octoroon's 
hide  if  her  master,  Jim  Godfrey,  ever  knows  of  her 
gallivanting.  He's  the  tightest  man  with  niggers  this 
side  of  Louisiannie,  and  that's  sayin'  a  good  deal," 


84  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

With  this  the  boniface  strolls  back  into  his  house,  where 
he  lives  up  to  his  word,  taking  up  with  his  own  hands 
the  best  kind  of  a  frontier  dinner  of  hot  corn  dodgers, 
broiled  prairie  chicken  and  roast  wild  turkey  to  the 
young  lady  in  the  upper  rooms. 

Miss  Godfrey,  being  nervous,  does  but  scant  justice 
to  the  meal.  Then,  the  time  being  heavy  on  her  hands, 
she  strolls  to  the  front  of  the  hotel,  gazes  out  through 
a  few  panes  of  glass  inserted  in  the  door  that  opens  on 
the  veranda,  and  finds  herself  surrounded  by  the  semi- 
frontier,  semi-Mexican  demoralization  that  has  gath 
ered  about  an  army  in  winter  quarters. 

Across  the  street  from  her  is  a  big  dance  hall  bear 
ing  the  sign,  "Bella  Union."  Upon  its  front  door  is 
placarded  "Un  Fandango  Grande!"  And  beneath 
this :  "Last  Big  Dance  for  Taylor's  Boys.  Mexican 
Orchestra  and  Lots  of  Hurdy-Gurdy  Girls.  Carmelita 
Will  Dance.  COME  ONE,  COME  ALL  !  ADMISSION 
FREE!" 

On  either  flank  of  this  building  are  ordinary  saloons. 
In  front  of  one,  out  on  the  muddy  sidewalk,  sit  a  few 
of  the  diamond-pinned  gentry  of  her  voyage,  Mr.  Yazoo 
Sam  in  white  flannel  suit  and  Panama  hat  quite  con 
spicuous  among  them,  his  feet  cocked  up  on  a  live  oak 
tree.  On  the  same  side  as  Miss  Godfrey's  hotel  are 
two  or  three  more  drinking  shops,  a  general  merchan 
dise  store  and  a  shooting  gallery,  from  which  the  occa 
sional  crack  of  a  rifle  indicates  some  army  teamsters 
are  trying  to  win  the  pipes  and  cigars  that  are  offered 
for  prizes. 

According  to  Spanish  custom,  most  of  the  ladies  of 
the  town  are  enjoying  a  siesta,  and,  the  day  being  hot, 
but  few  men  tramp  its  streets,  though  there  are  plenty 
busy  handling  freight  down  at  the  embarcadero,  from 
which  now  and  then  an  army  wagon  rolls  past  her,  its 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  85 

teamster  cracking  his  whip  and  cursing  his  mules  as 
they  go  through  the  adobe  mud. 

The  aspect  of  the  place  is  depressing  to  the  young 
lady.  She  shudders  slightly.  It  seems  as  if  she  were 
in  a  new  and  uncouth  world. 

Her  dejection  increases  when  Hampton  returns  and 
brings  a  shock  with  him.  He  says,  glumly :  "I  have 
been  down  to  the  office  of  Martin,  Best  &  Co.  and  had 
that  clerk  running  around  all  over  the  harbor  to  see 
if  he  could  find  transportation  for  you  to  Matagorda. 
There  ain't  so  much  as  a  skiff  that  can  be  got,  let  alone 
a  sloop  or  a  schooner,  which  is  the  smallest  thing  that 
dare  go  out  on  the  open  ocean,  now  it's  getting  the 
season  for  northers." 

"Then  what  am  I  to  do?"  asks  the  girl,  half  of  her 
self,  half  of  him.  "What  am  I  to  do?  I  know  your 
duty  compels  you  to  leave  here  to-morrow  at  the  latest 
to  bring  down  Hays's  regiment.  I  cannot  ask  you  to 
sacrifice  your  duty  as  a  soldier  for  me."  Then  she 
shudders :  "God  help  me ;  alone  in  this  terrible  place !" 
After  a  second  she  adds :  "Mr.  Pelham  would  do 
everything  in  his  power  for  me,  but  is  compelled  by 
his  duty  to  leave  here  to-morrow." 

"And  another  would  do  everything  for  you,"  remarks 
Hampton,  "another,  Miss  Godfrey;  don't  forget  me. 
Let  me  think  over  the  thing."  As  he  looks  upon 
this  girl,  made  even  more  beautiful  by  the  anxiety  in 
her  eyes,  something  comes  into  the  frontiersman's  mind 
that  tells  him  what  he  decides  within  the  next  few 
moments  will  be  vital  to  his  life.  He  says,  slowly : 
"Let  me  consider  this  when  I  am  away  from  you.  Your 
trouble  keeps  me  from  judging  just  straight." 

Pacing  the  little  veranda,  a  curious  look  is  in  his  cold, 
blue  eyes.  They  flicker  and  grow  dim.  For  the  first 
time  in  his  life  Sharpe  Hampton  is  really  frightened. 
With  himself  he  communes :  "Best  keep  away  from 


86  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

her.  I  know  when  I'm  licked.  A  few  days  more  un 
der  the  glances  of  her  sweet  eyes  and  I'll  go  into  my 
next  fight  scared  that  I'll  die  before  I've  won  something 
I've  got  to  win  before  I  go  under.  And  yet,  it's  de 
spair,  anyway.  A  rough,  hard-fighting  frontiersman 
must  look  like  a  galoot  to  a  girl  who's  been  brought  up 
as  finicky  as  she.  But  I  couldn't  look  man  nor  woman 
in  the  face  if  I  deserted  her  here,  helpless  and  alone, 
even  under  the  plea  of  military  necessity." 

Then  the  spirit  that  had  changed  defeat  into  victory 
in  so  many  desperate  contests  surges  up  in  him. 

He  says  recklessly  to  himself:  "Down  at  Mier* 
I  drew  a  white  bean.  By  the  soul  of  old  Ben  Milam, 
I'll  see  if  her  pretty  fingers  will  give  me  a  black  one, 
even  if  handsome  West  Point  dragoons  hustle  with  me 
for  her  favor." 

He  quietly  steps  back  to  the  young  lady,  whose 
eyes  are  distrait  with  anxiety  and  her  hands  twitching 
nervously,  in  his  soul  one  great  question :  "Will  she 
doit?" 

The  two  stand  facing  each  other,  a  problem  in  each  of 
their  minds.  The  bronzed  features  of  the  Texan  grow 
slightly  pale;  his  hands  also  tremble  a  little;  he  says, 
slowly;  "Miss  Godfrey,  I've  got  to  get  to  my  regi 
ment  up  at  San  Antonio.  Your  father's  hacienda  isn't 
much  of  a  ride  out  of  my  way.  If  you'll  trust  your 
self  with  me  alone  on  the  prairies  for  days  and  nights, 
dodging  bandits  and  eluding  Indians,  I'll  put  you  safe 
ly  in  your  dad's  arms  if  the  thing  is  to  be  done." 


*  During  the  unfortunate  Mier  Expedition,  in  1842,  the  cap 
tured  Texans  were  decimated  by  order  of  the  Mexican  Govern 
ment.  Nine  white  beans  to  each  black  one  were  placed  in  a 
gourd,  and  each  one  of  the  prisoners  was  compelled  to  insert 
his  hand  and  draw  out  one  bean.  Those  who  chanced  to  take 
the  black  ones  were  soon  after  led  out  and  shot  to  death. — 
Editor. 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  87 

"Trust  you?  I  know  you'll  get  me  there!"  cries 
the  girl,  impulsively.  "Thank  heaven,  everything's 
fixed  all  right."  In  proof  of  this  she  extends  eagerly 
her  delicate  patrician  hand. 

"Then  you're — you're  not  frightened  of  me?"  he 
mutters ;  his  face  glows  red ;  and  her  slight  fingers  are 
seized  in  a  grip  of  steel,  yet  held  most  tenderly  and 
respectfully. 

Estrella  looks  at  him  earnestly  for  a  moment.  The 
color  that  is  in  his  face  seems  to  call  the  blushes  to  her 
cheeks  also.  The  eyes  of  the  young  Captain  of  Ran 
gers  have  something  more  in  them  than  the  request 
of  confidence.  She  says,  falteringly :  "No,  not  fright 
ened,  but — but "  Her  glances,  that  have  been  full 

upon  him,  seek  the  floor. 

She  is  frightened  of  something.  Intangible,  but 
vivid,  it  makes  her  heart  beat  very  fast.  She  hastily 
withdraws  her  fingers  from  the  electric  clasp  of  the 
bowie  knife  scarred  hand. 

"Now  I've  got  a  good  many  arrangements  to  make 
to  get  you  off  to-morrow  morning,"  remarks  the  Cap 
tain,  and  turns  towards  the  door  almost  as  if  to  fly. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  asks  the  girl. 

"First,  I'm  going  to  store  your  trunks  in  Martin, 
Best  &  Co.'s  with  directions  that  they  be  forwarded  as 
soon  as  possible  to  Matagorda.  From  there  they  can 
go  up  by  wagon  to  meet  you  at  your  ranch  house.  To 
get  through  with  me  you've  got  to  travel  flying  light 
on  horseback." 

"Oh,  I  can  ride !  I've  a  riding  habit !"  cries  Estrella, 
confidently. 

"Not  one  of  those  civilized  things,"  asks  the  Ran 
ger,  glumly,  "like  the  girls  use  on  the  Shell  Road  and 
round  the  Lake  Drive  in  New  Orleans?" 

"The  same,  if  they're  in  the  very  latest  fashion,"  an 
swers  Miss  Godfrey,  airily. 


03  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

"Fashion?  You  won't  ride  fashionable.  You  have 
got  to  wear  something  that  you  can  walk  in,  run  in  and 
ride  boy  fashion  in.  That  jim-crack  riding  habit  of 
yours  would  be  torn  half  off  you  in  the  first  mesquite 
thicket  that  your  mustang  pranced  through.  Besides, 
part  of  the  journey  may  have  to  be  made  on  foot.  You 
don't  know  what's  ahead  of  you." 

"I  don't  care  what's  ahead  of  me  as  long  as  it  takes 
me  to  my  father." 

"I  don't  believe  you  do,"  answers  Hampton,  noting 
the  buoyant,  yet  determined,  brilliancy  of  her  eyes. 
"So  I'll  get  the  right  kind  of  rigging  for  you." 

Leaving  her  astonished,  he  strides  off  to  the  general 
merchandise  store ;  but  on  the  way  there  he  pauses 
abruptly  and  communes  with  himself  in  dismayed 
tones :  "Thunder,  I  see  the  giraffe  ahead  of  me!"* 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  DANCING  GIRL  OF  MATAMORAS. 

The  embarrassment  brought  about  by  this  compact 
is  perhaps  greater  in  the  lady  than  the  gentleman. 
Miss  Godfrey  is  blushing  vividly  as  she  calls  her  maid 
in  to  her  from  the  next  room  and  hastily  tells  her  of 
the  arrangement,  directing  her  to  make  every  prepa 
ration  for  them  to  leave  in  the  morning. 

Zelma's  reply  to  this  is  disheartening.  She  says 
doggedly :  "Then  I  fear  you'll  have  to  leave  me  here, 
my  mistress.  I  cannot  ride." 

"What,  and  be  all  alone  in  the  wilderness,  with  no 


*A  slang  expression  common  in  Texas  at  that  day,  equiva 
lent  to  our  expressive  phrase  in  later  American  vernacular, 
"I  see  my  finish." — Editor. 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  89 

one  with  us?"  breaks  out  Estrella,  growing  red  to  the 
roots  of  her  hair.  "Your  not  riding  is  all  nonsense. 
My  mother  told  me  as  a  pickaninny  you  used  to  strad 
dle  an  old  mule  in  Louisiana.  It — it  seems  to  me  you 
want  to  be  left  behind."  She  looks  at  her  maid 
astoundedly. 

This  colloquy  is  interrupted  by  the  return  of  Hamp 
ton.  In  his  hand  are  two  buckskin  frocks  that  have 
apparently  been  made  for  Indian  or  backwoods  maid 
ens.  One  of  these,  though  it  is  of  the  finest  fawn 
skin  and  decked  with  some  rather  gaudy  beads,  brings 
consternation  to  Miss  Godfrey.  The  other  or  heavier 
pelt  is  somewhat  coarser  in  its  making. 

"I  brought  this  for  you  to  wear  on  the  journey," 
remarks  the  frontiersman,  briefly. 

"Oh.  good  heavens,  they've — they've  got  leggings," 
gasps  Estrella,  for  those  were  the  days  before  mod 
ern  bicycle  exercise  had  inured  young  ladies  to  gen 
erous  athletic  personal  display. 

"Yes,  and  you'll  have  to  wear  'em,  too,"  half  laughs 
the  Texan.  "You'll  look  very  well  in  the  wild  Injun 
act,  though  I  reckon  these  moccasins  will  be  rather 
large  for  your  feet.  Have  your  girl  make  the  duds 
over  to  fit  you  this  afternoon.  This  other  frock  is  for 
her."  He  places  on  the  table  a  somewhat  plainer  buck 
skin  tunic. 

"But — but  Zelma  says  she  cannot  ride,"  rejoins  Miss 
Godfrey,  inspecting  the  costume  diffidently. 

"She'll  have  to,"  answers  the  Texan.  "Straddle 
fashion,  it  won't  be  so  difficult." 

"Straddle  fashion?  I'm — I'm  to  ride  that  way, 
too?"  stammers  Estrella. 

"Certainly,  when  there  isn't  a  lady's  saddle  within 
two  hundred  miles  of  us.  Besides,  I  don't  think  any 
bronco  can  be  broken  in  a  few  hours  to  carry  you  lob- 
sided.  I'm  going  to  make  everything  as  comfortable 


90  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

and  convenient  as  possible  for  you,  but  there  are  cer 
tain  things  beyond  me,  and  this  is  one  of  them.  Do 
you  stand  by  your  platform?  Will  you  go?" 

"Of  course  I  will.  I'll  ride  in  any  fashion  to  see 
my  father." 

"Then  give  your  directions  to  your  girl,"  directs  the 
Texan.  "After  that  I'll  take  you  down  to  Martin,  Best 
&  Co.,  where  you  can  rummage  through  your  trunks 
and  get  what  is  absolutely  indispensable  in  the  way  of 
clothing  and  feminine  nicknacks.  I've  even  decided  to 
risk  a  pack  mule,  though  we  oughtn't  to  take  it  with 
us." 

"Certainly,  I'll  do  anything  you  say,"  answers  Miss 
Godfrey,  and  she  takes  Zelma  into  the  other  room  with 
her.  After  a  few  minutes'  dressmaking  consultation 
she  returns  to  the  gentleman,  who  is  impatiently  pacing 
the  veranda.  "I've  put  Zelma  to  work  on — on  the  gar 
ments,"  she  says,  as  Hampton  leads  her  down  to  the 
ambulance  that  is  in  front  of  the  Goliad  House  waiting 
for  her. 

A  short  drive  through  streets  in  which  Texas  mud 
is  changing  under  the  hot  sun  to  Texas  dust  and  they 
are  at  the  shipping  office  once  more.  Leaving  Estrella 
in  charge  of  the  clerk,  the  Captain  of  the  Rangers  goes 
down  to  the  embarcadero  to  look  after  the  unloading 
of  the  equipment  for  the  Texas  regiment  and  its  stor 
age  with  the  Government  quartermaster. 

Returning  from  this  in  about  an  hour,  he  is  pleased 
to  find  that  his  pupil  in  frontier  travel  has  exercised 
considerable  self-denial  as  well  as  discretion  in  the 
selection  of  her  wardrobe,  and  has  a  very  small  bundle 
made  up. 

"Only  one  dress,"  she  laughs.  "That's  not  very 
much  for  a  lady  who  yesterday  thought  a  good  deal 
about  her  personal  appearance." 

"These  trunks  will  be  forwarded  on  the  first  vessel 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  91 

that  goes  up  the  coast,"  remarks  the  Ranger.  "You'll 
get  'em  finally  at  Live  Oaks  by  wagon  train  from 
Matagorda.  We  will  put  your  immediate  necessities 
in  the  ambulance  and  tote  them  up  to  the  hotel." 

With  her  bundle  in  his  hand  he  leads  the  young  lady 
out  after  repeating  his  instructions  to  the  clerk. 

Apparently  he  has  been  making  some  other  pur 
chases  for  her.  The  ambulance  takes  them  to  a  cor 
ral  on  the  outskirts  of  the  place,  near  the  shore  of  the 
bay.  This  is  occupied  by  a  bronco  dealer;  a  band  of 
some  twenty  or  thirty  mustangs,  most  of  them  half- 
wild,  are  running  about  it. 

A  clean-limbed,  black,  graceful-looking  mare,  al 
ready  saddled  and  bridled,  is  brought  up  to  Estrella  by 
a  negro  boy.  "I  selected  this  one  for  you  to  ride  to 
morrow,"  remarked  Hampton.  "Now  I'll  teach  her 
not  to  be  skittish  with  a  lady's  skirts  hanging  over  her 
flanks.  When  she's  learned  to  stand  this  she'll  prob 
ably  be  easy  enough." 

Tying  a  big,  flopping  Mexican  blanket  about  his 
waist,  he  springs  on  the  mustang  mare,  and  Miss  God 
frey  sees  an  exhibition  of  horsemanship  such  as  she 
had  never  seen  before,  the  real  rough-and-tumble  arti 
cle  of  the  plains  and  prairies.  On  feeling  the  unusual 
accoutrement  the  mare  utters  a  shrill,  piercing,  neigh 
ing  yell  and  rears  up  as  if  she  would  fall  over  back 
wards,  then  goes  bucking  all  over  the  corral,  until  as 
if  despairing  of  getting  rid  of  these  whisking,  clinging 
things,  that  swishing  about  either  flank  drive  her  mad 
with  fear,  the  frantic  creature  clears  the  high  stockade 
with  a  tremendous  bound  and  dashes  madly  forth,  dis 
appearing  in  the  stunted  forest  that  surrounds  the 
corral. 

Upon  this  struggle  between  man  and  beast  Miss 
Godfrey  had  looked  in  breathless  silence.  Now  she 


92  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

half-screams  at  the  horse  dealer:  "Go  after  him. 
He's  killed.  He's  dying  in  the  forest  there!" 

"Reckon  not,"  remarks  the  man  with  a  contempla 
tive  ejection  of  tobacco  juice  from  his  mouth.  "The 
Cap  rides  like  a  Comanche  Injun." 

In  proof  of  this  the  black  mare  soon  afterwards 
comes  in  sight,  her  ears  down.  As  she  lopes  demurely 
back  Hampton  says :  "I  reckon  she'll  be  all  right  to 
morrow  morning." 

He  springs  off  and  directs  the  darkey  boy :  "Make 
a  girl  of  yourself  with  that  blanket,  Pomp ;  mount  the 
filly  and  ride  her  a  couple  of  hours  more  to  get  her  ac 
customed  to  this  harness." 

"You  don't  think  she'll  do  me  up,  Massa  ?"  says  the 
negro,  doubtfully. 

"Oh,  not  a  bit.  She  wasn't  vicious;  she  was  only 
frightened.  Otherwise,  I  wouldn't  trust  you  on  her 
back,"  he  adds  to  Miss  Godfrey.  "This  little  Mexican 
saddle  with  its  topaderos  to  save  your  feet  from  bram 
bles  when  you  go  through  timber  will  be  just  the  thing 
for  you." 

"Oh,  how  much  trouble  you're  taking  for  me,"  says 
the  girl,  thanking  him  also  with  her  eyes. 

"Well,  as  I'm  in  command,  I've  got  to  see  every 
thing's  straight,  and  a  good  horse  is  most  impor 
tant  on  the  prairie.  The  speed  and  bottom  of  that 
mare,  who  I  reckon  is  about  as  smart  a  mustang  as 
there  is  in  Southern  Texas,  may  mean  your  life." 

The  manner  of  this  man  of  combat  is  quite  tender 
as  he  continues  :  "I  don't  want  to  take  you  out  on  the 
prairie  uneducated.  So  I'll  teach  you  to  use  a 
couple  of  little  frontier  trinkets  I've  secured  for  you." 

To  the  young  lady's  dismay,  he  produces  a  pair  of 
quite  handsome,  but  very  serviceable,  five-shooting 
Colt's  pistols.  "Dragoon  ones  would  be  a  little  too 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  93 

heavy  for  your  small  hand,"  he  suggests,  "and  you 
will  be  able  to  kill  mighty  dead  with  these." 

"Kill  with  these?  I — I  am  to  use  them?"  she  fal 
ters. 

"If  necessary.  Now  I'll  show  you  how.  This  place 
is  all  right  for  a  little  instruction.  I  could  have 
taken  you  up  to  that  shooting  gallery  in  town,  but  the 
lights  there  are  not  the  lights  of  the  prairie,  and  I  want 
you  to  learn  this  thing  practically  out  in  the  open." 

With  this  the  Captain  explains  the  weapon  to  her, 
shows  her  how  to  load  its  chambers  and  begins  a  two- 
hours'  target  practice  that  impresses  Estrella,  instruct 
ing  her  in  the  trick  of  snap  shooting. 

During  this  Miss  Godfrey,  chancing  to  make  a  bull's- 
eye,  becomes  elated  and  gets  to  laughing  over  it,  cry 
ing  "This  is  fun !"  But  is  rather  disconcerted  to  be 
told  quite  sternly :  "This  is  business,  and  the  grim 
mest  business  in  the  world.  People  who  talk  about 
fun  with  revolvers  haven't  seen  the  awful  things  the 
weapon  can  do  when  properly  handled.  Look  there !" 

A  rooster  some  twenty  yards  away  on  a  neighboring 
fence  is  stretching  its  neck  in  full  cock-a-doodle.  To 
the  crack  of  the  Ranger's  pistol  the  handsome  bird, 
stricken  in  its  triumph,  falls  dead  with  his  head  half- 
carried  off  his  body. 

"Now  we  will  go  at  it  seriously  again,"  commands 
her  preceptor,  and  keeps  his  pretty  pupil  pulling  trig 
ger  till  the  lengthening  shadows  of  the  trees  begin  to 
show  the  approach  of  evening.  "Reckon  you'll  do  for 
the  present,"  he  says.  "You've  got  nerve  enough. 
Only  be  careful,  if  you  want  to  make  a  very  sure  shot, 
to  hold  your  breath  as  you  touch  the  trigger,  and  never 
pull  until  you  see  something  in  front  of  your  sights. 
You  can't  kill  anything  by  blazing  away  at  the  uni 
verse." 

As  he  assists  her  into  the  ambulance  to  drive  back 


94  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

to  the  hotel  he  remarks :  "Just  as  well  take  these  and 
keep  'em  with  you/'  and  puts  the  pistols  into  her' hands. 
"Always  convenient  to  have  such  things  ready  in  this 
part  of  the  world,"  he  suggests.  ''Handle  them  and 
get  acquainted  with  them.  Some  day  you  may  find 
them  the  best  friends  you  have  on  this  earth.  Use 
them  on  your  enemies,  but  keep  one  last  shot  for  your 
self,  for  I  say  to  you,  as  I  do  to  all  women  on  this  fron 
tier,  as  you  love  yourself,  don't  let  the  Comanches  take 
you  alive.  That  would  be  my  advice  to  my  sister  or 
my  wife  or  my  mother." 

As  he  speaks  the  Captain's  face  for-  a  moment  fright 
ens  his  listener.  She  can  see  by  the  light  of  the  set 
ting  sun  his  clean-cut  features  twitch  with  an  agony 
of  retrospection,  and  his  eyes  glint  with  the  same  pecul 
iar  expression  that  Miss  Godfrey  had  seen  in  them 
when  he  spoke  to  the  gambler — only  more  cruelly 
deadly.  Then  this  fades  away  into  a  look  of  unutter 
able  sadness. 

"You — you're  thinking  of  something  that  makes 
you  suffer,"  whispers  Estrella,  sympathetically. 

"Something  I  mustn't  let  my  mind  dwell  on,"  mut 
ters  the  Texan.  With  an  effort  he  apparently  puts 
from  him  some  heart-breaking  recollection  and  goes 
to  chatting  with  the  young  lady  on  their  preparations 
for  their  journey  of  the  morrow.  So  they  ride  up 
the  main  street  of  the  town.  Looking  at  him,  she 
cannot  help  wondering  what  can  have  been  the  former 
life  of  this  man,  into  whose  hands  she  is  about  to  place 
herself  so  absolutely,  so  unguardedly.  She  remem 
bers  he  has  never  mentioned  his  family  or  his  previ 
ous  experiences  save  in  the  line  of  a  Ranger's  duty. 
But  gazing  at  his  clean-cut  features  and  his  direct, 
brilliantly  frank  eyes,  and  remembering  that  he  always 
looks  everybody  very  straight  in  the  face — except  her, 
as  their  ambulance  stops  in  front  of  the  Goliad  House 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  95 

Miss  Godfrey  places  her  little  hand  fearlessly  in  his 
and  steps  out  quite  confident  that  she  has  made  no 
mistake  in  trusting  the  Texas  Captain. 

The  frontier  town  has  sprung  into  greater  activity 
with  the  approach  of  evening.  The  oil  lamps  in  the 
barrooms  are  commencing  to  twinkle  merrily.  The 
big  canvas  sign  over  the  Bella  Union  is  illuminated 
by  candles  stuck  behind  it.  In  front  of  this  dance 
house  are  gathered  quite  a  crowd  of  cattlemen,  their 
pockets  full  of  Uncle  Sam's  money  from  the  sale 
to  the  Government  commissary  of  beeves  looted  from 
Mexican  rancheros  on  the  Rio  Grande,  a  sprinkling  of 
gamblers,  and  a  few  troopers  wearing  the  American 
uniform,  sutlers'  boys  and  mule-packers;  in  addition 
are  the  usual  Mexican  off-scouring  of  a  border  town, 
leperos,  poblanas  and  the  like. 

From  this  concourse  comes  boisterous,  uncouth 
applause,  mixed  with  the  sounds  of  guitar  and 
mandolin  and  the  merry  jingle  of  tambourine.  A 
bright,  flexible,  girlish  voice  is  singing  with  soubrette 
archness  that  pretty  Mexican  melody,  "Las  Ninas  de 
Durango."  There  is  a  vivacious  abandon  and  piquan 
cy  in  the  sweet  tones  that  attracts  Estrella.  She 
glances  across  the  street,  but  cannot  distinguish  the 
performer,  the  crowd  is  so  close  about  her,  though  a 
bright  swish  of  brilliant  color  now  and  again  under 
the  big  oil  lamp  in  front  of  the  Bella  Union  indicates 
there  is  dancing  as  well  as  singing. 

Further  inspection  is  interrupted  by  a  wild  yell  from 
the  outskirts  of  the  crowd.  "Hoop-la !  Hi-yi-ki-yi ! 
Hoop-la!  Why,  if  it  ain't  Sharpe  Hampton!"  A 
long,  lank,  slashing  frontiersman,  dressed  in  the  buck 
skins  and  coon  cap  of  the  hunter,  with  a  dark  mus 
tache  and  sparkling  jet  eyes,  comes  loping  across  the 
street  and  cries  again :  "Cap  Hampton !  Oh,  this 


96  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

will  make  the  Greasers  feel  real  good.  They've  been 
waiting  for  ye  here !" 

"Why,  this  is  luck,"  says  her  escort,  holding  out  a 
welcoming  hand.  "Harry  Love,  Wild  Harry." 
Then,  in  answer  to  Miss  Godfrey's  questioning  face, 
he  explains :  "Harry  Love  has  ridden  beside  me  and 
pulled  trigger  with  me  since  we  first  met  on  the  Mier 
Expedition." 

"Hy-Ki,  whar  we  botn  clrewed  white  beans  together 
and  lived  on  rattlesnake  and  cactus  dressin'  while  we 
war  gitting  out  from  the  Greasers,"  returns  the  fron 
tiersman,  who  apparently  is  a  slap-dash,  nervous,  and 
at  times  seems  almost  a  flighty,  man.  Then  he  chuckles 
suddenly:  "But  I  don't  know  yer!" 

"Why  not?" 

"Why,  ye're  not  smoking  tobacco." 

"I've  reformed  the  habit." 

"Oh,  Captain,  is  that  the  reason  you  have  been  chew 
ing  straws  all  day?"  laughs  the  girl.  "You  didn't 
think  smoke  was  pleasing  to  me." 

"Oho!"  guffaws  the  Texan  Ranger,  putting  his 
eyes  on  Miss  Godfrey.  "Ye've  got  him  in  trainin', 
have  ye,  Mrs.  Hampton?  I've  heard,  Cap,  that 
ye've  jest  come  down  from  New  Orleans,  but  Great 
Taylor!  I  didn't  think  ye'd  got  anything  as  purty  as 
that.  She  must  have  been  raised  in  Tennessee.  That's 
the  only  place  they  hatch  such  gals.  My  sakes,  if  she 
ain't  as  bashful  as  a  young  lady  possum !" 

For  at  this  astounding  outburst  Estrella's  face  has 
grown  rosy  as  the  setting  sun. 

"Not  Mrs.  Hampton,"  remarks  the  Captain,  getting 
very  red  himself.  "You  always  were  half-crazy, 
Harry,  anyway.  This  is  Miss  Godfrey,  Jim  Godfrey's 
daughter,  whom  I'm  going  to  take  up  to  her  father's 
ranch,  Live  Oaks,  upon  the  Atascosa  Creek.  You 
may  have  heard  of  the  place." 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  97 

"Heerd  of  the  place.  Hoop-la,  hi-yi,  I  war  raised 
than" 

At  this  astonishing  statement  Estrella's  eyes  grow 
big  and  she  half-gasps :  "You — you  were  raised  there?" 

"From  the  time  I  war  knee  high,"  rejoins  Love, 
quite  earnestly. 

"Then  you're  the  man  I  want,"  says  Hampton, 
eagerly.  "You  will  help  me  take  this  young  lady 
there?" 

"Not  if  I  kin  help  it,"  answers  Harry,  his  face  grow 
ing  gloomy.  "I've  no  notion  of  looking  on  that  'ere 
ranch  again,"  he  mutters,  doggedly.  "Ye  see,  I 
haven't  put  my  eyes  on  the  place  since  I  war  a  boy  of 
twelve,  the  night  it  war  wiped  out  by  the  Comanches." 

"Why,  I  thought  it  was  Mexicans !"  cries  Estrella. 

"Well,  it  warn't,  though  the  Mexicans  war  so  proud 
of  gettin'  the  credit  of  that  'ere  butcherin'  they  never 
denied  it.  But  what's  the  difference  whether  it  war 
Red  devils  or  Yaller  devils.  My  poor  ole  mummy 
and  my  ole  man  war  rubbed  out  thar,  though  I  escaped 
somehow,  as  they  were  burning  the  place,  and  found 
myself  out  of  my  head  upon  a  bare-backed  mustang 
way  up  towards  Gonzales  when  I  hit  my  senses." 
Love's  bright  eyes  have  a  look  of  haunting  horror  in 
them.  But  after  a  moment  he  continues  more  calm 
ly:  "I  guess  I'm  the  only  one  alive  from  that  'ere 
massacree." 

"And  so  you  knew  my  father?"  says  Miss  Godfrey, 
a  tender  tone  in  her  sweet  voice. 

"Knew  him  ?  Does  a  pup  know  the  boss  dorg  of  the 
pack?  It  war  only  a  piece  of  luck  that  old  Jim  God 
frey  war  out  prospectin'  and  locatin'  land  when  the 
redskins  jumped  us,  or  he'd  gone  up  with  his  outfit 
also."  The  frontiersman  looks  at  the  young  lady 
again  and  goes  on :  "I — I  reckon  I  likewise  know 
ye,  if  ye're  little  'Strella.  Don't  ye  remember  Wild 


98  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

Harry,  the  boy  as  used  to  catch  birds  and  cottontail 
rabbits  and  red  squirrels  for  ye  to  play  with?" 

"No,"  answers  Miss  Godfrey,  looking  at  him  in 
tently  and  passing  her  white  hand  over  her  brow, 
"though  I'm  'Strella." 

"No  rekellection  ?  Reckon  ye  war  too  young.  Why, 
Lord  bless  ye,  I  war  round  when  yer  little  sister  war 
run  off  by  the  Mexicans  or  Injuns,  in  eighteen  thirty 
or  thereabouts.  Ye've  heerd  of  her,  I  calculate  ?" 

"Yes,  I've  heard  of  Sybil,"  murmurs  the  girl  in  sub 
dued  voice.  Then  she  queries,  eagerly :  "You've 
seen  my  father  since  his  ranch  was  destroyed  ?" 

"Nary  a  time.  Since  that  cursed  Mier  Expedition, 
whar  me  and  the  Cap  and  all  of  us  war  nearly  rubbed 
out,  I've  been  most  of  the  time  down  on  the  lower  Rio 
Grande  pickin'  up  cattle  and  making  things  even  with 
the  Yaller  bellies,"  answers  Love.  "I've  got  Uncle 
Sammy's  gold  in  my  buckskins  now  for  a  lot  of  steers 
I  drove  in  to-day.  Every  head  of  'em  lifted  from  our 
friends,  the  Greasers."  This  last  in  the  righteous 
tone  of  duty  well  performed. 

"Anyway,  you've  got  to  go  with  me  as  far  as  God 
frey's  rancho,"  rejoins  Hampton,  earnestly.  "You've 
got  to  do  it,  Harry.  It's  a  duty  you  owe  to  Jim  God 
frey's  daughter." 

"And  I'll  do  my  duty  to  Jim  Godfrey's  darter, 
not  only  for  her  purty  face,  off  which  ye  can't  keep 
yer  eyes,  Sharpe  Hampton,  but  because  her  dad  war 
a  mighty  square  man  with  my  dad  when  I  war  a  little 
boy,  and  her  mammy,  God  bless  her,  war  very  kind  to 
my  poor  ole  mummy." 

"Very  well ;  meet  me  here  at  the  Goliad  House  this 
evening,"  whispers  the  Captain,  who  sees  that  Estrella 
is  quite  moved  at  encountering  one  who  had  known 
her  father  and  her  mother  when  she  was  a  little  child. 

"Right  ye  are.     Count  on  me  until  I'm  rubbed  out." 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  99 

"Thank  you,  Harry,"-  remarks  Hampton,  quietly, 
and  knows  if  he  has  secured  an  erratic,  half-crazy  man, 
that  he  has  also  obtained  a  very  sure  shot  and  a  very 
true  spirit  to  back  him  up  in  his  journey  across  the 
prairies. 

This  conversation,  held  in  the  open  street,  has  been 
quite  private.  The  music  of  the  guitar  and  mandolin 
and  the  song  of  the  girl  opposite  have  kept  observation 
from  them. 

But  now  there  seems  to  be  a  commotion,  almost  a 
struggle,  in  the  little  crowd.  The  tambourine  girl  is 
crying:  "I  will  speak  to  him.  Caspita,  why  not?  If 
you're  afraid  of  the  Texan  Captain,  mi  patron,  I'm 
not,  even  if  he  has  got  his  war  paint  on."  And  the 
dancing  girl,  in  the  easy  dishabille  of  Mexico  made 
more  pronounced  by  the  costume  of  her  profession, 
comes  running  across  the  street,  and  holds  out  a  tam 
bourine,  crying,  in  fairly  good  English  and  almost 
without  accent:  "Un  peso,  senor,  for  a  song  and 
dance !" 

A  snowy  chemisette  drapes  the  upper  portion  of 
her  rounded  and  yet  lithely  graceful  figure,  which 
is  that  of  a  young  girl,  though  its  scant  cut  and 
the  careless  manner  of  its  fastening  permit  glimpses 
of  a  nymph-like  bosom  perfect  in  its  development. 
Her  waist  is  girdled  with  a  bright  red  sash,  from  which 
floats  a  short  nagua  of  brilliant  colors  scarce  reaching 
to  the  knees,  displaying  legs  graceful  as  a  fawn's  and 
browned  by  the  sun,  for  they  are  stockingless,  which 
taper  into  little  blue  dancing  slippers.  Her  face  is 
wrapped  coquettishly  by  the  reboso  tapado,  or  floating 
scarf,  with  which-  the  Mexican  ladies  conceal  their 
faces. 

As  Hampton  gazes  carelessly  at  her  she  says,  almost 
droopingly:  "Don't  you  remember  the  dancing  girl 
to  whom  two  years  ago  in  Matamoras  you  tossed  a 


100  THE    SPY    COMPANY. 

golden  doubloon  as  she  danced  on  the  plaza,  turned 

away  and  forgot  her?  Don't  you  remember "  she 

is  drawing  away  archly  the  rebozo,  "don't  you  remem 
ber?"  She  tosses  off  Ihe  scarf  and  exhibits  deep 
brown  eyes  flashing  in  coquettish  vivacity.  As  she 
puts  them  on  Hampton  these  become  languishing,  as 
if  almost  beseeching  his  recognition. 

"By  Jove,  Carmelita!"  says  the  Texan,  suddenly. 

"Ah,  you  remember  me.  Dios  mio,  you  remember ! 
Carmelita  is  happy,"  and  she  breaks  out  into  a  laugh 
ing  Spanish  song,  then  suddenly  changes  it  to  that 
sweetest  of  all  Spanish  melodies : 

"Cuando  me  llaman  bonita, 
El  corazon  me  palpita." 

And,  courtesying  gracefully  before  the  Texan  Ranger, 
holds  out  again  her  tambourine. 

Into  it  Hampton,  with  Ranger  prodigality,  tosses 
a  gold  piece. 

"Cielo,  I've  got  the  mate  of  it,  the  one  you  gave  me 
at  Matamoras.  I  took  a  few  beatings  to  keep  it,  but 
I've  got  it  still." 

Miss  Godfrey  is  placing  another  gold  piece  in  the 
tambourine,  but  the  girl  turns  from  her  and  says,  petu 
lantly  :  "No,  not  from  you." 

"Why  not,  little  one  ?" 

"I  only  take  money  from  gentlemen.  I  don't  rob 
ladies.  What  I  get  is  from  the  cattle  thieves,  the 
monte  men  and  the  Gringo  soldier  boys.  Like  to  hear 
their  boss  tune?"  She  raises  up  her  voice  and  begins  to 
sing  "Molly  Is  the  Gal  For  Me"  with  such  enthusi 
asm  and  abandon,  such  winks  and  grimaces,  that  a 
few  of  Uncle  Sam's  soldiers,  who  are  lounging  about, 
join  in  the  chorus  and  go  into  an  impromptu  dance  in 
high  cavalry  boots  as  the  crowd  throw  money  to  her. 
When  Estrella  again  would  add  her  douceur  she  de- 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  TOI 

clines,  half-angrily :  "None  from  j^ou ;  none  from 
ladies,  only  from  caballeros,"  then  jeers :  "If  my 
patren  over  there  sees  me  refuse  gold,  how  he  is  curs 
ing  poor  Carmelita."  Here  noting  the  expression  on 
Miss  Godfrey's  face,  she  breaks  out  almost  savagely : 
"Don't  you  dare  to  pity  me,  Senorita  Hidalga!" 

"And  why  not  ?"  asks  Estrella,  looking  at  the  slight, 
graceful,  willowy  waif  of  the  frontier  before  her,  whose 
eyes  have  in  them  a  kind  of  pathetic  anguish. 

"Why  not?  Caramba,  because  I'm  too  proud  and 
too  tough.  Besides,  I  don't  care  for  the  sympathy  of 
women.  The  good  sisters  up  in  Chihuahua  tried  to 
make  me  a  nun,  but  Los  hombres  por  me !" 

Running  to  Hampton,  who  is  still  in  consultation 
with  Love,  she  cries :  "Come  to  the  fandango  to 
night,  Capitano  mio.  There  you'll  see  me  dance  the 
Habanero  and  the  cachucha  civilized,  wearing  silk 
stockings  and  dressed  Paris  fashion."  She  puts  her 
lips  to  his  ear  and  whispers,  "Come,"  a  pleading  in 
tensity  in  her  voice,  "Come ;  she  won't  miss  you  for  a 
little  time." 

Before  Hampton  can  reply  the  girl  is  again  dancing 
through  the  crowd,  singing  "Molly  Is  the  Gal  For 
Me"  with  even  more  roguish  abandon  than  before. 
At  its  close  she  throws  her  admirers  a  mocking  kiss  or 
two  and  cries :  "Adios,  Caballeros,  don't  forget  Car 
melita  dances  to-night  at  the  Bella  Union !"  She  takes 
one  quick  glance  at  Miss  Godfrey  who  stands,  the 
exponent  of  civilization  in  light  semi-tropical  trav 
elling  dress,  looking  daintily  nonchalant  despite  heat 
and  dust,  and  snarls  :  ''Diablo !  wouldn't  I  like  to  pull 
you  off  your  high  horse,  Dona  Hidalga!"  Even  as 
she  jingles  her  tambourine  and  skips  into  the  dancing 
hall  there  are  tears  in  the  eyes  of  the  frontier  soubrette. 


102  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

"TO  SAVE  HIM,  I  SPARE  HER  !" 

During  this  Harry,  who  has  sauntered  to  the  side 
of  Miss  Godfrey,  is  whispering  to  her  effusively  and 
proudly  in  backwoods  candor :  "Hi-yi,  look  at  Carmelita 
trying  to  scalp  Hampton;  the  Cap's  always  the  high 
hand  with  the  gals.  But  don't  let  that  worry  ye! 
Didn't  I  see  two  of  the  purtiest  poblanas  in  San  An- 
tone  slash  each  other  nigh  into  cat  meat  with  machetes 
because  the  Cap  wouldn't  look  at  either  of  'em  ?  Bless 
yer  sun-bonnet,  Sharpe's  as  fastidious  with  women- 
kind  as  a  coyote  is  with  pizened  venison." 

Apparently  this  eulogy  does  not  impress  Miss  God 
frey  over-favorably.  As  Carmelita  makes  her  adieu 
to  the  crowd  Estrella  raises  up  her  voice,  a  slight  cold 
ness  in  it,  and  addresses  the  object  of  Wild  Harry's 
encomiums,  saying:  "I  think  I'll  go  in.  Frontier 
gaiety  rather  fatigues  me,  Captain  Hampton." 

So  passing  up  the  rickety  stairway,  accompanied  by 
the  Ranger  officer,  who  has  called  a  negro  boy  to  carry 
her  baggage,  she  reaches  the  balcony  of  the  Goliad 
House.  Here  Zelma,  having  come  at  her  call,  she 
points  to  tlie  bundles  and  hastily  directs :  "Pack  these 
very  carefully  for  our  journey."  Then  turning  to 
Hampton,  she  nonchalantly  remarks :  "I  believe  you 
said  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  was  the  hour  of  our 
departure.  At  that  time  you  will  find  Zelma  and  me 
ready."  The  fluttering  of  dainty  skirts  indicates  she 
has  departed. 

To  this  cool  adieu  Hampton  takes  off  his  hat  po 
litely,  and,  minus  the  young  lady's  presence,  remarks 
ruefully  to  himself :  "Well,  I'm  hanged !  I've  seen 
northers  blow  up  mighty  sudden,  but  women  are  quick 
er."  He  comes  down  the  steps  rather  moodily,  to  be 


THE  SPY  COMPANY.  103 

joined  by  Wild  Harry,  who  whispers  in  an  impressive 
tone :  "Mighty  fine  gal,  that  sah !  Would  be  fine 
even  in  Tennessee,"  then  goes  on,  buoyantly:  "I've 
been  sayin'  a  good  word  for  yer,  Cap."  Getting  no 
answer  to  this,  he  chuckles :  "Snakes  and  'gators, 
how  that  dancing  gal  does  hate  Jim  Godfrey's  lily 
darter!" 

"Why  the  devil  should  Carmelita  hate  Miss  God 
frey?"  asks  Hampton,  savagely. 

"You !"  is  the  curt,  but  suggestive  rejoinder.  "Ever 
since  down  in  Matamoras  ye  saved  Carmelita  a  lickin' 
from  her  patron,  she's  grown  as  slick  to  ye  as  cata 
mounts  are  to  catnip." 

"Nonsense !     You're  crazy,  Wild  Harry !" 

"Not  much !  Folks  think  I'm  out  of  my  cabeza,  but 
I  ain't.  I'm  only  cute,  real  cute,  cute  as  a  coyote; 
that's  all.  T'other  one's  kinder  taken  with  yer,  too," 
remarks  the  frontier  philosopher,  and  goes  off,  leaving 
Hampton  gazing  after  him,  his  eyes  sparkling  at  his 
last  suggestion. 

But  the  glance  of  the  Ranger  Captain  grows  colder 
as,  somewhat  later  in  the  evening,  he  sees  loping  down 
the  street  on  a  dusty  and  hard-ridden  charger  hand 
some  young  Pelham  of  May's  Dragoons,  who  checks 
his  horse  suddenly  in  front  of  the  Goliad  House,  throws 
his  reins  to  the  orderly  that  is  following  him  and,  with 
clanking  sabre  and  jingling  spurs,  springs  up  the  rick 
ety  stairs  of  the  hotel. 

As  the  dragoon  is  admitted  by  Zelma,  Hampton 
mutters,  sot  to  voce:  "By  the  Lord,  that's  why  she 
choked  me  off  so  short.  Didn't  want  my  presence  to 
put  a  damper  upon  young  West  Point's  honeyed 
speeches,"  and  grows  much  more  down-hearted  than 
he  has  need  to  be. 

For  the  Ranger's  backwoods  life,  away  from  the 
artifices,  affectations  and  emotions  that  give  uncer- 


104  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

tainty  yet  charm  to  the  fair  sex,  has  taught  him  little 
about  the  varying  moods  of  maidenhood.  Perchance, 
with  greater  experience  he  would  be  happier  than  he 
is  this  evening;  though  he  has  not  heard  Wild 
Harry's  panegyric  and  does  not  know  how  good  a 
word  that  harum-scarum  frontiersman  has  said  for 
him. 

"Anyway,  no  matter  how  she  treats  me,  she  needs 
me !  And  I'm  her  man  till  I've  placed  her  safe  in  her 
father's  arms,"  says  this  knight  of  the  prairies  quietly 
to  himself.  Though  as  he  steps  down  the  street  to 
look  after  his  outfit  and  equipment  for  the  morrow's 
journey,  chancing  to  light  a  very  fine  Havana,  he  finds 
it  extremely  bitter  to  his  mouth. 

But  Providence  has  other  blows  for  the  Ranger's 
heart  this  evening. 

The  fifes  and  drums  are  sounding  the  distant  reveille 
from  Taylor's  Camp.  Its  baggage-wagons  are  parked 
ready  for  morning  departure;  its  provost  guard  is 
rounding  up  those  absent  from  the  lines  without  leave 
preparatory  to  early  marching  on  the  morrow.  The 
night  has  fallen  upon  the  frontier  outpost  town,  mak 
ing  it  even  more  repulsive  to  the  eyes  of  the  young 
lady  transplanted  from  the  North  than  it  had  been 
in  sunshine. 

Still,  Estrella  is  in  passingly  good  spirits  as  she 
paces  the  little  veranda  in  front  of  the  Goliad  House 
with  dashing  young  Pelham,  whose  sabre  clanks  as  his 
footsteps  accommodate  themselves  to  her  shorter  ones. 

The  young  officer  has  chatted  long  and  earnestly 
with  her,  telling  her  of  his  life  on  the  plains  of  Ne 
braska  and  in  the  wildernesses  of  Iowa,  where  he  has 
been  scouting  during  most  of  the  two  years  since  he 
saw  her  at  Saratoga.  His  eyes  have  spoken  more  than 
his  words,  indicating  that  perchance  his  tongue  might 
say  a  great  deal  did  he  not  deem  it  wise  to  chain  it 


TilE   SPY    COMPANY.  IO5 

upon  the  commencement  of  a  campaign  which  makes 
it  hardly  fair  to  ask  a  girl  to  endure  the  agonies  of  a 
soldier's  fiancee. 

But  Miss  Godfrey  knows  just  as  well  as  she  did  in 
Saratoga  what  this  bright-eyed,  handsome  fellow 
would  say  to  her.  She  knows  also  that  she  has  had 
his  heart  while  he  has  been  away  from  her,  at  least  she 
thinks  she  has.  This  causes  her  to  be  tender  to  him, 
as  he  asks,  anxiously :  "You're  sure  Captain  Hamp 
ton  has  made  every  arrangement  for  your  safe  jour 
ney  ?" 

"Certain  as  that  he  has  the  experience  to  know  what 
I  require,"  replies  the  young  lady.  "Why,  the  Ranger 
has  even  broken  a  horse  for  my  special  riding  with 
skirts,  and  has  taught  me  to  shoot  a  pistol  so  I  can 
hit  the  bull's-eye  once  in  a  while.  He  is  making  a 
frontier  girl  of  me,"  she  adds,  laughingly. 

At  this  pleasant  information  Mr.  Pelham  looks  very 
grave,  but  says,  generously :  "Yes,  he's  doing  the 
right  thing  by  you.  He's  probably  the  very  best  man 
on  the  border  to  make  your  journey  across  the 
prairies  safe." 

Just  here  a  corporal  dashes  up,  and  saluting,  cries : 
"Lieutenant  Pelham,  the  platoon  are  having  a  hard 
time  up  at  the  General  Jackson  saloon." 

The  noise  of  a  scuffle  between  some  drunken  soldiers 
and  the  troopers  of  the  provost  guard,  who  are  trying 
to  round  them  up,  at  a  neighboring  grog  shop,  pro 
duces  from  the  girl  a  slightly  frightened  exclamation 
and  from  the  officer  a  mental  curse.  "You'll  excuse 
me  for  a  moment,  Miss  Godfrey,"  says  the  dragoon. 
"I've  got  to  look  after  this,  but  I'll  be  back  in  a  min 
ute." 

The  Lieutenant  springs  down  the  steps,  leaving  Es- 
trella  shuddering  at  the  sights  and  noises  of  a  frontier 
town  in  the  full  glory  of  its  faro  splendor. 


IO6  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

The  windows  of  all  the  gambling  saloons  are  raised, 
the  night  being  hot.  From  them,  the  noise  of  carous 
ing  men  and  the  execrations  of  losing  gamesters  come, 
mingled  with  the  laughter  of  ladies  who  love  every  man 
and  the  jabber  of  the  mixed  population,  Mexican, 
Yankee,  Negro  and  Mestizo. 

Opposite,  the  big  doors  of  cheap  glass  which  make 
the  front  of  the  Bella  Union  are  thrown  wide  open.  In 
to  it,  lured  by  the  music  of  a  Mexican  stringed  orches 
tra  that  is  playing  a  Jullien  polka  and  the  strident  voices 
of  its  hurdy  gurdy  girls,  are  thronging  a  motley  con 
course  of  civilian  camp  followers  of  Taylor's  army 
leavened  by  a  contingent  of  Uncle  Sam's  boys  who  have 
as  yet  dodged  the  provost  marshal. 

It  is  but  a  short  thirty  yards  across  the  street.  The 
oil  lamps  of  the  dance  house  are  burning  very  brightly 
and  the  sights  within  it  have  a  kind  of  weird,  uncanny 
fascination  for  this  import  from  civilization.  Looking 
through  the  wide  open  doors  over  the  heads  of  drink 
ers  and  roysterers,  Estrella  sees  Carmelita  dancing 
with  the  languishing  abandon  of  the  Spanish  the  soft 
cachucha  as  she  snaps  the  castenets. 

For  a  moment  the  young  American  lady  forgets  all 
else  except  the  vivacious  charm  of  the  danseuse.  For 
bizarre  effect,  though  it  is  a  Spanish  dance,  Carmelita  is 
robed  not  after  the  manner  of  Castile,  but  after  the 
style  of  Paris.  Her  brocade  frock,  silken  stockings 
and  red  satin  bottines  seem  to  add  to  her  diablerie.  To 
Miss  Godfrey  the  very  beauty  of  the  girl  makes  her 
reckless  abandon  sadly  repulsive.  She  shudders  and 
turns  from  the  sight ;  then  screams  and  gazes  horrified. 

There  are  quick  flashes  of  pistols  in  the  dancing  hall 
and  over  their  reports  the  screams  of  women ;  people 
are  flying  from  the  open  doors  of  the  Bella  Union,  and 
a  man  falls  wounded  in  the  street  below  her. 

As  this  happens,  she  is  suddenly  dragged  into  the 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  107 

house  by  an  athletic  arm;  the  closing  door  muffling 
the  sounds  of  a  cavalry  platoon  dashing  down  the 
street  and  Pelham's  voice  shouting  hasty  orders  to  his 
men  as  they  enter  the  dancing  saloon  and  round  up 
Uncle  Sam's  deserters  and  put  order  in  the  place. 

"Never  look  at  a  fight  that  you  haven't  any  business 
with,  Miss  Godfrey,"  suggests  Hampton.  The  crash 
of  a  window  stricken  by  a  bullet  emphasizes  his  re 
mark.  As  he  leads  her  back  into  her  room  he  says : 
"While  the  scrimmage  is  going  on  in  the  street,  I'll 
show  you  and  your  maid  how  to  do  up  the  bundles 
convenient  for  the  pack  saddle." 

"Oh,  thank  you,"  replies  Estrella,  effusively.  "I'm 
afraid  our  efforts  have  not  been  altogether  successful." 

As  Hampton  aids  the  young  lady  in  her  arrange 
ments,  they  are  interrupted  by  Him  Jones,  who,  after 
rapping  on  the  door,  comes  in  and  says :  "That  provost- 
marshal  Lieutenant  is  out  on  the  veranda.  He  asked 
me  to  tell  you  that  as  he  doesn't  like  to  leave  his  men, 
Miss  Godfrey,  he'd  be  almightily  obleeged  if  you'd  jest 
step  out  and  say  good-bye  to  him  before  he  rides  off 
to  the  Rio  Grande." 

"Of  course,  I  will,"  cries  Estrella,  and  passes  has 
tily  from  the  room,  leaving  the  Ranger  still  engaged 
with  her  baggage. 

As  she  steps  on  to  the  veranda,  the  town  has  grown 
normal  once  more,  judging  by  the  twanging  of  the 
mandolins  and  guitars  that  greet  her  from  the  Bella 
Union  dance  house. 

Leaving  his  orderly  waiting  for  him  with  his  charger, 
the  young  officer  runs  up  the  steps  very  eagerly  to  the 
side  of  the  young  lady.  "I  hope  this  wretched  trou 
ble  in  the  dance  house  didn't  alarm  you,  Miss  God 
frey,"  he  says,  deprecatingly.  "It  won't  occur  again, 
as  we've  gathered  in  about  every  man  without  leave 
in  the  town,"  adding  severely:  "I  rather  imagine 


108  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

there'll  be  some  bucking  and  gagging  up  at  the  guard 
house  for  this ;  but  I'm  awfully  sorry  for  the  row !" 

"And  why?"  This  is  a  very  rash  question  from  the 
young  lady. 

"Because  it  will  shorten  the  time  I  had  to  say  good 
bye  to  you,"  answers  the  Lieutenant,  his  voice  growing 
so  tender  that  it  startles  his  listener.  "I  am  compelled 
to  report  this  affair  at  headquarters.  Some  drunken 
troopers  have  seriously  injured  two  or  three  teamsters. 
So  as  I've  only  a  minute  with  you,  I'm  going  to  make 
the  best  of  it." 

They  are  standing  well  in  the  shadow  of  the  build 
ing.  The  sign  of  the  "Army  of  the  Rio  Grande  Sa 
loon"  projecting  partly  over  this  balcony  from  the  next 
building,  shields  them  from  the  observation  of  the 
street. 

Miss  Godfrey  sees  enough  in  the  young  fellow's  eyes 
to  warn  her  not  to  ask :  "How  ?"  But  not  waiting  for 
the  question,  Charley  proceeds  to  answer  it  with  West 
Point  strategy.  He  whispers:  "It  wouldn't  be  right 
to  tell  you  how  much  I  feel,  now  that  I'm  going  cer 
tainly  to  battle,  perhaps  to  death — 

"Oh,  don't  say  that !"  cries  the  girl,  drawn  by  this 
artful  touch  into  tender  voice. 

"Thank  you  for  that  tone,"  answers  the  young  man 
in  enthusiastic  ardor.  "You're  kinder  to  me  now  than 
you  were  at  Saratoga.  Then  you  pleaded  the  child. 
Now  that  you  are  a  woman — you  remember  I  told  you 
I  would  bring  back  your  souvenir !"  He  pulls  from 
his  breast  the  piece  of  the  American  flag.  "I've  car 
ried  it  here  in  Indian  skirmishes  up  on  the  Missouri 
and  it  has  been  my  fetich.  I'll  wear  it  on  my  heart 
down  on  the  Rio  Grande,  and  if  I  come  back,  I'll  see 
if  you  won't  give  me  for  it  what  I  want  most  in  all  this 
world." 

Few   young  girls   are   wholly   adamant  to   such   a 


THE  SPY  COMPANY.  109 

speech,  when  uttered  by  a  long  moustachioed,  shoulder- 
strapped  fellow  of  gallant  bearing  and  flashing  eyes, 
especially  when  he  is  going  to  battle  and  perchance  to 
cruel  death.  Under  the  softness  of  the  Texan  night, 
the  strains  of  the  mandolins  and  guitars  playing  soft 
Spanish  melody  from  the  Bella  Union,  with  only  two 
friends  in  this  place  so  cut  off  from  the  world  she  has 
just  left,  Estrella  feels  the  sadness  of  parting  with 
even  one  of  them  and  her  beautiful  eyes  fill  with  tears. 

Gazing  upon  her  delicate  loveliness,  the  exquisite 
refinement  of  this  fair  exile  from  civilization,  made 
more  striking  by  the  strange  setting  of  this  shanty 
frontier  town,  the  young  officer  grows  very  ardent; 
he  whispers,  his  heart  in  his  voice :  "Say  to  me  'Come 
back.'  "  Receiving  no  answer,  he  pleads  again  :  "Say 
to  me  'Come  back  from  battle.'  " 

"Oh,  don't  talk  of  that.  Of  course,  I — I  hope  you'll 
come  back,"  falters  the  young  lady,  her  eyes  full  of 
troubled  sympathy,  for  in  imagination  she  sees  the 
stricken  field  and  this  handsome  fellow  lying  dead  upon 
it. 

"God  bless  you  for  the  words!  God  bless  you  and 
— good-bye."  The  dragoon's  tone  and  manner  are  so 
impulsively  possessive,  she  bashfully  droops  her  head 
and  lowers  her  eyes.  As  she  does  so  her  forehead  is 
touched  by  two  eager  burning  lips  and  brushed  by  a 
long  moustache.  Before  she  can  either  protest  or  dis 
sent,  a  swinging  clash  of  the  door  on  the  balcony  in 
dicates  the  advent  of  the  Texan  Captain.  Through  the 
panes  of  glass  in  its  upper  panel,  he  has  seen  what  has 
indicated  more  than  it  should.  He  says  quietly :  "Miss 
Godfrey,  I  have  made  up  your  baggage  with  your 
maid  into  bundles  suitable  for  the  pack  saddle  of  the 
mule.  I  think  there  is  nothing  further  for  me  to  say 
to  you  except  that  to-morrow  morning  at  five  o'clock 


110  THE  SPY  COMPANY. 

I  shall  be  here  ready  to  take  you  on  your  way  to  your 
father.  Good  evening." 

He  raises  his  hat  and  passing  quietly  down  the  stair 
way,  stands  meditatively  in  front  of  the  hotel.  The 
next  moment  he  is  joined  by  young  Pelham,  who  has 
whispered  to  Estrella  :  "Remember  my  souvenir !" 
and  come  into  the  street  after  the  Texan. 

To  the  Ranger,  the  young  officer  says:  "Captain 
Hampton,  you're  as  capable  as  any  man  on  this  fron 
tier  to  make  Miss  Godfrey's  journey  across  the  prairies 
safe.  You  fortunately  are  not  at  present  compelled  by 
military  duty  as  I  am  to  turn  your  face  to  the  Rio 
Grande." 

"No,  but  I  will  be  mighty  soon,"  answers  the  Texan. 
"Don't  doubt  our  boys'll  be  with  you  before  the  scrim 
mage  takes  place." 

"Of  that  I  am  certain,"  answers  the  dragoon,  "for 
we  won't  get  to  work  immediately.  Uncle  Sam's  boys 
are  to  wait  until  they've  been  assaulted.  Those  are  the 
orders,  I  know,  from  Washington.  In  fact,  every  of 
ficer  of  the  armv  has  been  cautioned  not  to  strike  first. 
Therefore  some  one  has  to  take  the  blow.  Some 
poor  devil,  not  daring  to  order  his  troopers  to  draw 
sabres  or  open  fire,  will  have  his  command  destroyed 
and  perhaps  suffer  court  martial  in  order  to  enable  our 
Government  at  Washington  to  say :  'We  did  not  in 
augurate  hostilities.  The  Mexicans  began  the  war.'  "* 

"Well,  we  Texans  have  no  orders  from  Washington. 
Besides,  I  don't  think  you  could  prevent  our  boys  from 
shooting  Greasers  at  sight,  we've  got  so  in  the  habit  of 


*This  was  the  actual  fate  of  Captain  Thornton  of  the  Dra 
goons,  and  he  pleaded  at  Court  Martial  that  his  very  orders  for 
bade  him  to  make  any  attack  upon  the  Mexicans  until  they  had 
first  assaulted  his  command.  He  was  acquitted  most  honorably 
by  the  Court.  Memoirs  of  a  Maryland  Officer,  by  J.  R.  Ken- 

ly. 


THE  SPY  COMPANY.  Ill 

it,"  rejoins  Hampton  grimly,  as  the  dragoon  swings 
himself  into  his  saddle. 

But  here  the  light  dies  away  in  the  Texan's 
eyes.  Turning  in  his  stirrups,  Pelham  seizes  the 
Ranger's  hand,  wrings  it  and  whispers:  "Hampton, 
you're  going  to  take  the  treasure  of  my  life  in  your 
keeping  for  delivery  to  her  father.  God  forever  bless 
you  for  your  kindness  to  her."  As  the  Captain  starts 
back  as  if  the  Lieutenant  had  struck  him,  Charley  Pel- 
ham  claps  his  spurs  into  his  steed  and  dashes  up  the 
street,  leaving  a  very  heavy  heart  behind  him.  For 
Sharpe  is  extremely  simple  in  matters  of  love  and 
doesn't  reckon  upon  a  young  man's  enthusiastic  speech 
and  doesn't  reason  that  though  Estrella  may  be  very 
precious  to  Pelham,  Pelham  may  not  be  so  extremely 
precious  to  her. 

Therefore  the  Captain  of  Rangers  goes  on  his  way 
very  moodily  this  evening,  and  as  he  makes  arrange 
ments  for  the  coming  journey,  mutters  mentally  once  or 
twice:  "I  knew  it.  Anybody  could  have  told  that 
up  at  Taylor's  camp.  However,  she  needs  me,  and 
when  she  gets  through  needing  me,  I'll  go  out  and — 
thank  God  for  a  bloody  war !" 

Of  this  colloquy,  Miss  Godfrey,  leaning  listlessly 
over  the  balcony,  has  heard  enough  to  make  her  furious 
with  the  fiery  Pelham  as  blushingly  she  has  fled 
towards  her  rooms,  and  sank  in  bashful  and 
perturbed  dismay  upon  a  chair.  She  marvels  at  the 
consternation  that  is  in  her  as  she  reflects :  "If  Hamp 
ton  saw  that  unexpected  salute  what  will  he 
think?  And  now  the  crazy  words  of  that  impetuous 
boy  will  make  him  suspect  more!"  Her  confusion 
is  such  that  she  scarce  notices  Zelma,  who  in  a  half 
hearted  way  has  been  sewing  upon  the  Indian  tunics 
for  their  journey  on  the  morrow. 

But  her  reverie  is  broken  in  upon  by  her  maid  stand- 


112  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

ing  frightenedly  before  her  and  pleading  "For  the  love 
of  mercy,  don't  tell  your  father." 

Startled,  Estrella  looks  up  and  asks :  "Tell  my 
father  what?" 

"That  I  was  going  to — to  run  away  from  you  with 
Mr.  Yazoo  Sam,"  falters  the  girl  in  agitated  voice. 
"Ever  since  Mr.  Him  Jones  told  me  I  was  not  to  leave 
this  room,  I  knew  you  had  discovered  my — my  foolish 
ness." 

"And  so  your  idiotic  notion  for  this  gambler  made 
Captain  Hampton  risk  his  life  on  the  steamboat  to  pre 
vent  Mr.  Yazoo  Sam  decoying  you  from  me,"  cries 
Miss  Godfrey,  astonished  at  the  anger  that  rises  up  in 
her  against  her  bondmaid. 

But  her  indignation  is  checked  by  the  appearance 
of  the  culprit.  Were  it  not  for  her  handsomely  devel 
oped  figure  and  the  passion  that  now  and  again  lights 
her  eyes,  though  her  cheeks  are  very  pale,  the  young 
woman,  in  her  short-skirted  soubrette  frock,  might 
be  a  child  shrinking  from  uplifted  rod,  as  she 
pleads :  "In — in  pity  for  me,  don't  tell  your  father." 
"Of  course,  I  shall  have  no  secrets  from  my  father. 
Why  should  I  not  tell  him  ?"  answers  her  mistress 
impulsively. 

"Because  every  one  here  says  he — he  is  the  most 
cruel  master  with  his  servants  in  all  Texas,"  stam 
mers  the  octoroon  in  broken  voice  with  lips  from  which 
fear  has  driven  even  the  rich  blood  of  the  Creole. 

"Nonsense,  he  is  goodness  itself!"  cries  Estrella, 
indignantly.  "Those  are  some  lies  that  frightful  Yazoo 
Sam  told  you  to  induce  you  to  run  away  with  him." 
To  this  she  adds:  "Why,  for  Heaven's  sake,  if  you 
wished  to  leave  me,  did  you  not  go,  Zelma,  when  I  gave 
you  your  opportunity  in  New  York?  Then  I  could 
have  engaged  some  woman  who  would  not  have  wanted 
to  desert  me  here  in  this  wilderness." 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  113 

"I  did  not  want  to  leave  you  then,  Madame,"  says  the 
octoroon  droopingly  and  tearfully.  "Believe  me,  it  was 
only  after  I  saw  Mr.  Sam.  I  had  never  been  made 
love  to  before  by  a  handsome  white  gentleman,  and 
he  had  very  tender  ways."  Though,  as  she  mentions 
the  gambler,  the  red  blood  of  passion  is  surging  in  her 
cheeks,  crushed  by  her  helpless  situation,  she  pleads 
brokenly  :  "Don't — don't  tell  your  father." 

Before  Miss  Godfrey  can  answer,  Mr.  Jones  comes 
up  stairs  and  with  frontier  hospitality  offers  supper. 

"Thank  you,  nothing  to  eat  this  evening,"  Estrella 
says  rather  sadly.  "But  to-morrow  morning,  please, 
at  half-past  four 

"You'll  have  a  real  cute  southwestern  breakfast  if 
old  Sally,  my  cook,  sits  up  all  night  to  get  it,"  remarks 
the  border  landlord.  Then  noting  the  drooping  ap 
pearance  of  Miss  Godfrey's  culprit  maid,  he  beckons 
the  mistress  out  in  the  hall  and  whispers  impressively : 
"Ye've  diskivered  her  didos,  but  jest  a  light  breshing 
with  a  hickory,  and  for  God's  sake,  don't  say  nothin' 
about  yer  wench's  wanting  to  run  away  to  your  dad. 
Jim  Godfrey's  the  toughest  man  with  niggers  west  of 
the  Sabine,"  and  so  goes  solemnly  away,  leaving  Es 
trella  shocked  and  stunned. 

"I  can't  believe  what  you  say  about  my  father.  You 
don't  know  him  as  well  as  I !"  she  cries  after  Jones  in 
wounded  indignation.  But  after  a  moment,  coming 
into  the  room,  this  young  lady,  who  has  gradually  dis 
covered  that  companionship  between  her  and  Zelma  is 
a  practical  impossibility  where  slavery  exists,  says:  "I 
appreciate  the  devotion  that  brought  you  with  me  to 
this  place.  I  shall  always  protect  you,  Zelma.  Though 
I  cannot  believe  my  father  is  the  severe  man  people 
here  seem  to  think  him,  I  shall  say  nothing  to  him. 
The  episode  is  forgotten !" 

"Thank  you — thank  you,"  murmurs  her  maid,  grnte- 
fnllv,  and  kisses  her  hand 


114  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

"Anyway,"  continues  Miss  Godfrey,  "if  papa  is  such 
an  ogre,  I  should  be  as  frightened  of  him  as  you.  As 
his  daughter  I  owe  him  obedience  and  I'm  going  to 
give  him  it  from  my  very  soul ;  my  dear  father !" 
Tears  of  anticipation,  hope  and  love  well  up  in  her 
beautiful  eyes.  "Now,"  she  adds  in  attempted  light 
ness,  "let  us  get  our  garments  ready  for  to-morrow. 
Perhaps  we'll  have  an  interesting  day  upon  the  prai 
ries." 

Perhaps  Miss  Godfrey  will  have  an  interesting  day 
upon  the  prairies. 

Even  at  this  moment,  looking  out  through  a  broken 
window  from  the  upper  story  of  one  of  the  saloons 
opposite,  the  dancing  girl  is  dejectedly  disarraying  her 
self  of  some  cheap  though  gaudy  finery  used  during 
her  performance  in  the  evening,  and  muttering  mental 
ly:  "He  never  came  to  see  me  dance.  Others  ap 
plauded,  but  his  hands  were  not  there." 

Beside  her  sits  her  patron  languidly  smoking  a  cig 
arette.  He  is  a  fierce  but  cunning-eyed  Mexican, 
dressed  as  an  extreme  dandy  of  the  northern  provinces. 
By  his  side  lies  a  black  manga,  but  at  present  a  cambric 
shirt  snowy  and  fastened  with  jewelled  studs  covers 
the  upper  portion  of  his  lithe,  snakelike  person.  His 
slim  waist  is  belted  by  a  broad  red  sash,  in  which  is 
stuck  a  nasty-looking  -stiletto  and  a  pair  of  horse  pis 
tols.  His  legs  are  cased  in  silver-mounted  calzaneros 
of  corduroy  velveteen  that  are  tight  as  his  yellow  skin 
as  far  as  the  knee,  but  from  there  are  open,  coming 
down  bell  fashion  over  his  feet  and  permitting  white 
drawers  to  show  along  the  open  seams.  To  his  high 
untanned  leather  boots  are  strapped  heavy,  long- row  el- 
led  spurs.  A  broad-brimmed  grey  sombrero,  trimmed 
with  a  two-inch  band  of  gold  bullion,  lies  ready  to  his 
hand. 

This  caballero  is  handling  his  cigarette  with  one 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  115 

brown  hand  and  is  counting  with  the  avaricious  and 
nervous  fingers  of  the  other,  the  money  from  the  danc 
ing  girl's  tambourine. 

This  being  finished,  as  he  pockets  the  silver  coins,  he 
looks  towards  the  Goliad  House  and  remarks,  half  to 
himself :  "Over  there  is  Don  Jaime  Godfrey's  daugh 
ter,  the  greatest  rica  in  all  of  Texas.  To-morrow 
morning  she  goes  across  the  prairie,  doubtless  with  lit 
tle  escort." 

"Bueno,  you  have  some  fine  idea,  judging  by  your 
face,"  whispers  the  dancing  girl — "about  her?" 

"An  idea  that  will  make  us  rich.  The  Yankee  army 
marches  south.  She  goes  towards  the  north.  Canales' 
troop  of  voluntaries  rancheros  isn't  half  a  night's  ride 
towards  the  west.  What  kind  of  a  ransom  would  not 
Don  Jaime  pay  for  his  daughter  ?" 

"Ah,  you  mean  to  seize  Dona  High-horse,"  whispers 
the  girl,  clapping  her  hands  excitedly.  "Bravo,  she 
who  offered  me  money  in  his  presence,  she  whom  he 
looked  at  and  scarce  had  eyes  for  me." 

"Diablo,"  snarls  the  man,  "  you  mean  the  accursed 
Texan  Ranger  Captain  of  whom  you  always  think." 

"And  whom  you  always  fear,"  breaks  in  the  girl. 
"Whom  you,  Senor  Bandit  and  Senor  White  Liver  and 
Senor  Bully,  dare  not  face  lest  he  will  recognize  you  as 
the  bandit  who  loves  flowers  yet  steals  cattle  and  mur 
ders  the  helpless  along  the  Texas  frontier."  A  smile 
ripples  her  vivacious  features  and  she  cries :  "Madre 
mia,  how  I  laugh  when  I  think  how  he  pulled  the 
quirta  from  your  hand  and  thrashed-  you  with  it  in 
the  plaza  at  Matamoras,  the  night  you  were  going  to 
beat  me.  That's  two  years  since.  You  beat  me  no 
more.  My  little  stiletto,  the  last  time,  was  so  nearly 
fatal  eh,  mi  amigof"  Then  the  mocking  jeer  in  her 
voice  changes  to  an  eager  intensity.  "But  you  want 


Il6  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

me  to  do  something  that  will  injure  her.  I  am  at 
your  service." 

"I  wish  you  to  find  out  who  rides  with  Senorita 
Godfrey  to-morrow  morning." 

"Santos,  I'll  do  it!"  answers  Carmelita.  "But  have 
a  care  you  do  your  part.  Play  double  with  me  and  I 
shall  whisper  you  are  an  cspia  for  Carrabijol  and  Can- 
ales  upon  the  Yankee  soldiers.  Then  how  long  do  you 
think  you'll  live,  my  poor  Florito?  Cielo,  your  face  is 
as  white  as  your  liver  now."  As  the  man  shudders  from 
her,  she  says  gaily :  "I'll  go  over  and  sing  a  serenade 
to  Senorita  Yankee  and  find  out  who  takes  care  of  her 
on  the  prairie." 

Picking  up  her  guitar,  she  runs  down  the  stairs,  trips 
across  the  street,  dashes  into  the  Goliad  House,  gives 
a  dainty  feminine  rap  on  Miss  Godfrey's  door,  and 
sings  in  her  sweetest  voice  a  charming  little  Spanish 
melody. 

As  the  portal  is  opened  she  cries  to  Estrella : 
"By  your  eyes,  I  knew  you  liked  music  as  I  sang  to 
day.  Have  another  song  from  Carmelita  before  you 
sleep  ?  Ah,  you  have  a  guitar,  too.  You  sing  like  me. 
Your  eyes  seemed  to  pity  me  to-day." 

She  is  about  to  spring  into  the  room,  but  the  young 
lady  from  the  North  looks  coldly  upon  this  pretty  but 
outre  creature  in  the  gaudy  finery  of  a  frontier  sou- 
brette. 

Actuated  partly  by  Anglo-Saxon  indifference  and 
partly  by  what  she  has  heard  of  this  girl's  passion  for 
Captain  Hampton,  she  is  about  to  say :  "Excuse  me 
this  evening,  I'm  tired,"  when  Carmelita,  catching  the 
denial  of  her  eye,  cries  suddenly :  "No  music !  Like 
to  hear  the  story  of  a  waif  of  the  border,  who  never 
knew  a  mother's  kiss,  who  never  knew  a  father's 
arms?" 

"Come  in,"  says  Miss  Godfrey,  impulsively.    "Come 


THE    Sl'Y   COMPANY.  117 

in !"  Then  she  whispers  sadly :  "I  had  a  sister  who, 
were  she  alive,  might  say  the  same  as  you.  Come  in, 
pretty  one." 

"Ha,  you're  opening  your  arms  for  me.  You  don't; 
think  I'm  a  little  snake.  That's  right;  trust  Car- 
melita!"  and  dancing  into  the  room  the  delicate  and 
agile  creature  almost  nestles  in  Miss  Godfrey's  lap, 
and  artfully  tells  her  a  very  sad  story  of  how  she  had 
no  recollection  of  parents,  but  had  been  taken  by  the 
Good  Sisters  of  Chihuahua,  who  wanted  to  make  her 
a  nun,  but  that  feeling  too  gay  for  a  convent,  she  had 
run  away,  and  under  the  patronage  of  Florito  had  be 
come  the  most  celebrated  dancing  girl  of  the  north  of 
Mexico.  "Dios,  you  should  see  me  at  fairs  in  the 
plazas  of  Monterey  and  Matamoras.  Hum,  the  men 
loved  me!"  she  says  archly.  "The  women — "  she 
shrugs  her  shoulders — "not  so  much  !  But  you — " 
And  she  gets  prattling  with  Miss  Godfrey  till  she  learns 
the  details  of  Estrella's  journey  and  now  doesn't  dare 
to  refuse  that  young  lady's  gold. 

But  coming  from  this  interview,  as  soon  as  Car- 
melita  is  out  of  observation  of  the  Goliad  House, 
she  dashes  Uncle  Sam's  good  double  eagle  into  the 
mud,  stamps  upon  it  viciously  with  both  little  feet,  and 
says  :  "Not  from  her !  Not  from  her !"  then  pauses 
and  half  reels  and  sighs  brokenly :  "My  God,  he — he 
protects  her  across  the  prairies." 

So  coming  in  before  her  patron  who  is  eagerly 
awaiting  her  report,  she  remarks:  "There's  no  good 
trying  to  attack  this  American  young  lady,  my  poor 
Florito.  She  has  a  whole  company  of  dragoons  to 
accompany  her  to  San  Antonio  de  Bexar." 

For  a  moment  the  Mexican  looks  disappointed  and 
dismayed,  then  he  bursts  out  at  her :  "You — you  mis 
erable  little  liar !  She  has  nothing  of  the  kind.  All  of 


Il8  THE    SPY    COMPANY. 

the  Yankee  soldiers  march  south  to-morrow.  Tell  me 
the  truth." 

"Diablo,  I  have,  straight  as  if  I'd  sworn  it  on  the 
Virgin !"  she  answers  resolutely. 

"You  traitor !"     He  raises  threatening  hand. 

"Caramba"  whispers  the  girl,  "why  should  I  not 
tell  you  the  truth  when  I  hate  her  because  he  loves 
her?" 

"Under  those  circumstances  I  expect  you  have," 
mutters  Florito.  "But  if  not — !"  He  goes  away,  a 
very  nasty  threatening  in  his  snaky  eyes. 

Looking  after  him  the  dancing  girl  cries  to  herself : 
"Santos,  how  I  hate  her ;  but  I  love  him  !  I  have  lied  to 
protect  him  from  those  murderous  lancers  of  Canales. 
To  save  him,  I  spare  her :  but  Santa  Maria,  she  shall  not 
have  mi  caballero!  I  have  loved  him  ever  since  he 
saved  me  from  Florito's  cruel  hand,  and  loved — no  one 
else.  And  yet,  Dios  de  mi  alma,  under  her  very  eyes 
he  tossed  his  doubloon  to  me  as  if  I  were  a  beggar." 

And  this  girl  who  had  been  roguishness  and  abandon 
and  gaiety  itself  before  the  guffawing  crowd  of  the 
frontier  street,  throws  herself  down  upon  a  dirty  couch 
of  sheepskin  and  sobs  and  sighs  as  if  her  sprightly  soul 
would  leave  her  beautiful  body, 


BOOK    III. 

FRONTIER    CHIVALRY. 


CHAPTER  IX.  * 

THE  PASSIONS  OF  THE  PRAIRIE. 

The  fifes  and  drums  are  sounding  the  reveille  and  the 
bugles  "Boots  and  Saddles"  from  Taylor's  camp,  as 
Hampton  pauses  with  his  outfit  in  the  rear  of  the  Go- 
liad  House,  thinking  it  wisest  that  his  exodus  with 
his  fair  charge  from  this  frontier  town  should  be  un 
noticed. 

His  caballada  consists  of  a  mule  and  four  mustangs, 
including  the  black  mare  selected  for  Miss  Godfrey. 
These  are  all  caparisoned  in  Mexican  style,  though  the 
trappings  on  Estrella's  steed  are  of  somewhat  lighter 
material  and  more  ornamental  workmanship  than  the 
others.  To  each  saddle  is  attached  that  useful  article 
for  prairie  travel,  the  lasso. 

The  pack  mule,  which  is  the  regulation  Mexican 
article  as  regards  temper,  stubbornness  and  intelli 
gence,  bears  also  the  regulation  Mexican  pack  saddle 
and  is  haltered  so  as  to  be  led  by  Mr.  Love. 

Both  frontiersmen  are  in  the  full  array  of  the  back 
woods,  sombreros  and  buckskin  suits,  each  of  their 
belts  holding  a  brace  of  heavy  revolvers  and  a  long 
buckhorn-handled  bowie-knife.  Hampton  in  addition 
has  two  big  dragoon  six  shooters  in  his  holster,  but  to 

(i  19) 


I2O  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

leave  his  arms  free  for  the  assistance  and  guidance  of 
Miss  Godfrey,  has  his  rifle  slung  cavalry  fashion  over 
his  back.  Wild  Harry  carries  his  long  Kentucky  wea 
pon  Western  style  across  the  pommel  of  his  saddle. 

As  Miss  Godfrey  has  promised,  she  doesn't  keep 
them  waiting.  Him  Jones  immediately  makes  his  ap; 
pearance  from  the  back  door  of  the  Goliad  House,  car 
rying  the  young  lady's  bundles,  which  he  proceeds  to 
adjust  on  to  the  pack-saddle  of  the  mule,  the  animal 
as  usual  flinging  his  heels  about  and  cutting  up  in  true 
burro  fashion. 

As  this  is  being  done,  two  putative  Indian  girls  make 
their  appearance  and  come  timidly  out  of  the  hotel. 
They  are  Miss  Godfrey  and  her  attendant,  Zelma. 

"Geehosh — Nebuchadnezzar!"  remarks  Mr.  Love 
under  his  voice ;  and  immediately  slings  Estrella's  maid 
with  free  and  easy  hand  upon  her  saddle  and  arranges 
it  for  her,  while  Hampton  with  somewhat  more  cere 
mony  assists  Miss  Godfrey  to  mount  man-fashion  the 
dainty  black  mare  he  has  selected  for  her. 

On  it  Estrella  makes  a  very  pretty  Indian  picture. 
The  soft  fawn-skin  of  her  tunic,  which  reaches  some 
what  below  the  knees,  outlines  her  rounded  graces  of 
bust  and  shoulders.  From  beneath  its  skirts  are  poked 
out  very  diffidently  tight  buckskin  leggings,  that  as 
they  taper  into  the  little  beaded  Indian  moccasins,  dis 
play  beauties  hitherto  unknown  to  the  ardent  frontiers 
man. 

"You  look  quite  active  and  frontier-like,"  he  says  re 
assuringly  as  he  gazes  at  the  girl,  who  hangs  her  head 
bashfully. 

"Oh,  I  feel  light  as  a  fawn,"  remarks  the  dainty 
equestrienne,  then  adds  gratefully :  "Thank  you,  the 
stirrup  leathers  are  just  right,"  and  asks:  "What  do 
you  call  my  mare?"  as  she  caresses  the  graceful  black 
head  that  is  turned  towards  her. 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  121 

"Mulefoot,"  says  the  frontiersman. 

"My,  what  a  funny  name.  Why  do  they  call  her 
that?" 

"Because  her  hoofs  are  formed  like  a  mule's,  which 
makes  her  more  sure-footed  for  your  journey,"  answers 
the  Ranger,  patting  the  mare's  graceful  neck  also ;  like 
all  true  horsemen,  he  loves  the  faithful  companions  of 
his  adventures  and  his  forays. 

"Pistols  all  right?"  he  asks  earnestly. 

"Yes,  I — I  think  so.  I  loaded  them  as  you  instructed 
me,  very  carefully,"  she  remarks  as  Hampton  draws 
the  five-shooters  from  the  cases  in  which  they  are  lying 
on  the  ground,  and  examines  them  carefully.  "But  I 
didn't  know  exactly  how  to  wear  them." 

"I'll  show  you."  As  he  places  the  belt  about  her, 
he  suddenly  pauses  and  laughs :  "I  reckon  this  is 
all  of  a  foot  too  big  for  you."  Making  the  necessary 
hole  in  the  leather,  he  buckles  it  about  the  young  lady's 
delicate  waist,  blushing  like  a  boy  as  he  does  so. 
"You've  had  plenty  to  eat  ?"  he  asks. 

"Oh,  yes;  pork  dodgers,  chicken  fixin's,  dough  do 
ings  and  sausages,"  she  replies.  "Mr.  Jones  took  very 
good  care  of  me." 

Then  they  ride  away,  for  Harry  Love  has  been  equal 
ly  expeditious,  Estrella  waving  a  hand  ladened  with 
grateful  thanks  towards  Him  Jones,  who,  having  no 
hat  upon  his  head,  pulls  his  forelock,  and  says :  "Bless 
yer  eyes,  Miss.  Tell  yer  dad  Him  Jones  has  not  for 
gotten  him,"  and,  getting  into  his  house,  mutters : 
l"How  could  I  forgit  Jim  Godfrey  when  he  did  me  in 
a  hoss  trade  ?" 

Hampton  and  his  party  don't  take  the  main  street  of 
the  town,  but  ride  around  its  outskirts,  the  Ranger 
not  wishing  Greaser  eyes  to  see  he  has  the  embar 
rassment  of  women  in  his  convoy.  Out  of  the  town 
they  take  the  well-beaten  trail  that  leads  them  along  the. 


122  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

higher  lands  a  little  above  the  shores  of  the  bay  west 
ward  towards  the  ferry  on  the  Nueces  River. 

Reaching  this  in  about  three-quarters  of  an  hour, 
they  find  the  ferry  that  has  been  used  in  bringing 
droves  of  cattle  to  Taylor's  Army  still  in  operation. 
Here,  under  some  oaks  and  cotton-woods  that  line  the 
river's  banks,  they  await  the  return  of  the  boat,  which 
is  a  big  scow  now  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
Guided  by  means  of  a  rope  cable  stretched  across  the 
stream,  it  is  coming  back  to  their  side  ladened  with 
cattle.  As  they  stand  watching  it,  a  Mexican  lolls 
on  the  bank  smoking  a  cigarette  and  lazily  gazes  at 
it  also. 

"You're  waiting  to  take  the  ferry,  senor?"  says 
Hampton  pleasantly  to  the  man. 

"No,  senor;  I  am  here  to  help  drive  that  band  of 
steers,  when  it  is  landed,  to  the  commissariat  officer  of 
the  Yankee  Army."  The  Mexican  points  to  his  horse, 
that  at  some  little  distance  is  wandering  about,  hal 
tered  by  his  lariat,  cropping  the  grass  of  the  prairie, 
though  the  grazing  is  not  over  good,  the  ground  hav 
ing  been  beaten  and  trampled  by  the  hoofs  of  the  many 
cattle  that  have  crossed  in  the  last  few  months  to  feed 
Uncle  Sam's  soldiers. 

As  Hampton  is  about  to  saunter  indifferently  to 
wards  this  animal,  the  man,  springing  up,  says  eagerly 
with  the  politeness  of  his  nation:  "Quicre  a  fumar 
caballero,"  proffering  a  handful  of  cigarettes. 

"Con  guesto,  senor,"  replies  the  Texan,  accepting  the 
offer  with  equal  politeness.  Lighting  up,  he  takes  a 
few  careless  steps  towards  the  horse,  then  turns  away, 
and,  apparently  no  more  interested  in  the  Mexican, 
goes  to  chatting  with  Miss  Godfrey,  asking  her  how 
she  has  passed  the  night  in  the  Goliad  House. 

"Rather  peculiarly,"  rejoins  the  young  lady.  "I  had 
a  visit  from  the  dancing  girl,  who  came  over  and  sang 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  123 

to  me  and  told  me  of  her  curious  history  and  unhappy 
life." 

At  this  Hampton  looks  astonished,  then  slightly  con 
cerned,  and  asks  rather  sharply:  "What  did  you  tell 
her?" 

"Oh,  the  details  of  our  trip;  how  in  the  goodness 
of  your  heart  you  had  offered,  notwithstanding  the 
urgency  of  your  ride  to  San  Antonio,  to  take  me 
through  the  dangers  of  the  prairie  to  my  father's 
ranch."  Then  Estrella's  face  grows  radiant,  she  asks 
eagerly:  "Don't  you  think  my  father  may  be 
now  at  his  hacienda,  having  come  up  from  Matagorda 
when  he  found  I  would  not  join  him  there?"  Her 
eyes  have  tender  tears  in  them ;  she  murmurs :  "Oh, 
if  I  could  see  him  at  once  upon  arrival !" 

To  this  the.  Texan  answers  nothing,  but  hurries  their 
embarkation  on  the  ferryboat,  which  has  by  this  time 
reached  their  side  of  the  river.  Under  his  directions 
the  crossing  is  rapidly  achieved,  Hampton  urging  tha 
ferrymen  to  their  work  by  what  would  seem  to  Miss 
Godfrey  an  almost  too  liberal  reward,  did  it  not  speed 
her  towards  her  father's  arms. 

During  their  water  excursion,  a  shadow  seems  to 
cross  once  or  twice  Hampton's  well  controlled  features. 
He  appears  to  be  in  deep  thought.  The  moment  they 
have  landed  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Nueces,  he  takes 
Love  with  him  out  of  earshot  of  the  young  women  and 
says :  "Did  you  see  that  Mexican  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river?" 

"Of  course,  Cap.  Took  a  purty  good  look  at  him, 
too." 

"Did  you  notice  anything  peculiar  about  him  ?" 

"Nothin'  particular;  regulation  greasy,  regulation 
dirty,  regulation  soft  voice,  regulation  snake." 

"Yes,  but  his  horse  had  a  brand  on  it  only  used  south 
of  the  Rio  Grande,"  replies  Hampton,  "in  fact,  about 


124  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

the  brand  that  would  be  on  one  of  Canales'  or  Carrabi- 
jol's  horses.  Carrabijol  himself  was  in  Corpus  Christi 
only  a  day  or  two  ago.  His  band  can't  be  any  farther 
away  than'll  keep  'em  safe  from  Taylor's  outposts. 
Probably  about  west  of  here." 

"Then  we'd  better  travel  quick,"  mutters  Harry, 
"now  we've  got  women  with  us." 

"Perfectly  right !"  Hampton  steps  to  Miss  Godfrey 
and  looking  out  over  the  prairie,  which  now  towards 
the  west  and  north  is  only  bounded  by  the  horizon, 
though  dotted  with  its  clumps  of  timber,  he  says : 
"We're  about  a  hundred  miles  from  your  father's 
rancho,  on  a  course  a  little  west  of  north.  I've  marked 
it  on  this  pocket  compass.  Keep  that  with  you !  In 
case  by  any  accident  you  are  separated  from  me  or  lost 
on  the  prairie,  follow  the  direction  marked  on  this  com 
pass,  and  don't  turn  away  from  it.  Remember  that. 
Your  life  may  depend  upon  it."  Then  he  calls  :  "Har 
ry,  have  you  given  to  Zelma  the  pocket  compass  marked 
as  I  told  you  and  the  proper  directions  ?" 

"Yes,  Cap,  I  told  her  that  as  we  came  along." 

"How  does  she  ride  ?" 

"Quite  well  for  a "  Love  was  going  to  say 

"Yaller  gal,"  but  the  beauty  of  the  octoroon  makes  him 
say,  "for  a  woman." 

"Well,  her  horse  is  all  right.  I  had  the  negro  boy 
last  night  accustom  it  to  skirts.  Now  follow  along!" 
and  the  Captain  rides  quickly  by  Miss  Godfrey's  side 
out  upon  the  prairie,  heading  slightly  to  the  west  of 
north.  "I  want  to  get  inland,"  he  says,  "so  that  when 
we  strike  the  next  stream,  we  will  be  high  enough  up  it, 
to  find  a  ford.  I  don't  want  to  make  you  swim  it  on 
horseback." 

So  the  mustangs  lope  over  the  prairie,  which  begins 
to  seem  boundless  to  Miss  Godfrey,  as  the  Bay  of  Cor 
pus  Christi  has  entirely  passed  from  her  sight,  and 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  125 

now  on  all  sides,  lying  before  her  is  a  sea  of  green, 
dotted  here  and  there  with  mottes  or  islands  of  trees 
of  various  kinds,  pecans,  plums,  live  oaks  and  syca 
mores,  just  springing  into  their  full  foliage. 

The  morning  mist  spreading  over  it,  makes  the 
scene  weirdly  fantastic  as  they  pass  great  clumps  of 
live  oak  covered  with  the  long  bearded  moss  peculiar 
to  the  Southern  States.  In  the  mist  of  the  morning 
these  masses  of  timber  assume  fantastic  shapes  and 
curious  tints,  sometimes  looking  like  mediaeval  castles, 
at  others  gleaming  palaces  of  silver,  then  glow 
ing  red  and  gold  beneath  the  Southern  sun  that  is  ris 
ing  over  them  and  dispelling  the  fog.  Soon  the  whole 
park-like  landscape  under  its  beams  becomes  warm  and 
bright  and  radiantly  soft. 

Suddenly  Estrella  utters  an  exclamation  of  delight. 
The  sea  of  green  is  changing  into  an  endless  sea  of 
flowers,  yellow,  violet,  red  and  blue.  Myriads  of 
lovely  prairie  roses,  asters,  dahlias  and  tuberoses  give 
out  their  perfumes  to  her  open  nostrils  and  their  varie 
gated  colors  to  her  admiring  eyes.  Boundless  the 
flowery  ocean  spreads  before  her,  broken  here  and 
there  by  the  green  islands  of  trees,  from  which  issue 
the  songs  of  myriads  of  birds — orioles  and  cardinals 
and  chaparral  cocks  giving  out  their  morning  welcome 
to  the  sun.  It  is  a  bright  March  morning  on  the  Texas 
prairies. 

The  green  tree  mottes  are  made  beautiful  by  clinging 
grape  vines  everywhere,  and  some  of  them  are  thickets 
of  fruit  trees,  plums  and  wild  peaches,  covered  with 
colored  blossoms  that  foretell  a  harvest  of  luscious  fruit. 
There  is  no  sweeter  morsel  to  the  human  tongue  than 
the  wild  southwestern  plum. 

Enchanted  by  the  sight,  the  girl  goes  to  prattling 
merrily  as  she  rides  beside  the  rather  stern-faced  Texan 
Ranger,  whose  eyes — the  sharp  eyes  of  the  scout — 


126  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

seem  to  be  restlessly  inspecting  and  investigating  every 
feature  of  the  changing  landscape. 

"I  had  quite  a  curious  episode  in  the  Goliad  House 
last  night,  Captain  Hampton,"  she  says. 

"What  was  that  ?"  asks  the  Ranger  eagerly. 

"Oh,  Him  Jones's  cat!"  she  laughs.  "The  canvas 
ceiling  over  my  head  had  holes  in  it.  It  was  wonder 
fully  weird  to  see  the  pussy's  paws  come  through  these 
holes  when  she  would  lose  her  footing  as  she  made  an 
all-night's  hunt  for  the  rats  and  mice  that  scrambled 
about  over  my  head.  I  would  have  been  frightened  if 
I  hadn't  become  a — frontier  girl.  Poor  Zelma  was  ter 
rified  at  the  creature."  Then  Miss  Godfrey  whispers : 
"From  what  Mr.  Jones  said  to  me,  and  from  the  direc 
tions  you  gave  my  maid  yesterday,  you  must  have 
known  of  her  foolish  escapade  with  Mr.  Yazoo  Sam. 
Please  don't  mention  it  to  my  father  if  you  meet  him." 

Hampton  glances  back  at  the  octoroon,  whose  hand 
some  though  delicately  voluptuous  figure  is  well  dis 
played  by  the  buckskin  tunic,  and  some  stories  that  he 
has  heard  of  Jim  Godfrey  coming  into  his  mind,  he 
says  pointedly :  "Most  certainly." 

"Thank  you,  Captain  Hampton,"  returns  Estrella, 
adding  earnestly:  "I  don't  want  you  to  have  a 
bad  opinion  of  Zelma.  She  doesn't  deserve  it."  And 
as  they  ride  along,  she  tells  him  of  her  maid's  devotion 
in  following  her  from  New  York. 

As  his  companion  talks,  she  gives  many  glimpses  of 
her  lovely  soul  and  the  Texan  Captain  grows  even 
more  tender  to  this  beautiful  creature  who  is  so  de 
pendent  upon  him  for  protection.  Even  as  he  listens 
to  her,  his  every  sense  is  on  the  alert  to  keep  her  very 
safe. 

But  the  scene  made  pleasant  by  the  low  songs  of 
humming  birds  and  the  humming  of  innumerable  bees, 
elates  the  girl  and  makes  her  confident.  She  says: 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  127 

"This  is  one  of  the  flower  prairies  of  which  you  told 
me  on  the  steamboat,  isn't  it,  Captain  Hampton?"  and 
looking  around,  cries:  "As  if  there  could  be  danger 
here!" 

Just  then  there  is  a  little  sker-r-r  a  few  paces  to  one 
side  of  her.  For  answer,  the  Ranger  silently  points 
towards  a  cactus  bush.  She  gives  a  little  scream  of 
horror  and  shudders :  "Heavens  and  earth,  isn't  that 
a — a  rattlesnake?" 

"Yes.  You  see  it  isn't  all  quite  as  secure  as  it  looks. 
There  are  other  beasts  that  will  do  you  to  death  in 
those  canebreaks."  He  points  to  his  right  hand,  where 
a  line  of  timber  indicates  a  watercourse.  "At  night 
you'll  hear  the  howling  of  the  jaguars  in  that  chapar 
ral,  and  even  now, — listen!  You  notice  that  rooting 
and  grunting?  That  comes  from  the  little  wild  hog, 
the  peccary,  as  plucky  a  brute  as  walks  the  earth.  Kill 
one,  and  you've  got  to  slay  the  whole  drove,  or  they'll 
tear  you  in  pieces  as  sure  as  they've  white  tusks." 

Under  the  frontiersman's  instructions,  the  girl  be 
comes  impressed  also  with  the  animal  life  about  her. 
His  quick  hand  indicating  them,  she  notices  the  in 
numerable  deer  that  they  disturb,  grazing,  some  of 
their  herds  numbering  hundreds.* 

They  have  ridden  not  more  than  three  hours  when 
Hampton  says :  "I  reckon  we'd  better  stop  and  give 
you  a  rest." 

"Why,  I'm  not  tired,"  she  answers,  rather  indig 
nantly.  "I'm  accustomed  to  horse-back  exercise." 

"Yes,  but  your  maid  isn't,"  he  replies.  "Besides, 
this  is  the  proper  time  to  rest  and  graze  our  horses. 
We  won't  go  on  until  the  extreme  heat  of  the  day  is 

*In  passing  through  Southern  Texas  in  1846,  the  prairies 
seemed  literally  alive  with  deer,  it  was  no  uncommon  spectacle 
to  see  from  one  to  two  hundred  in  a  single  herd.— Captain 
Randolph  B.  Marcy,  in  The  Prairie  Traveller. 


128  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

past."  With  this  he  calls  to  Love :  "Harry,  best  get 
something  nice  for  the  young  lady  to  eat." 

"Sartin  sure,"  replies  the  Ranger,  and  turns  his  horse 
off  towards  the  line  of  timber  that  indicates  a  little 
watercourse. 

A  few  minutes  after  by  a  little  rivulet  that  runs  slow 
ly  over  the  level  prairie,  Hampton  stops  his  cavalcade, 
and  assisting  Miss  Godfrey  and  Zelma  from  their  mus 
tangs,  he  places  some  blankets  in  a  little  secluded  nook 
under  a  cottonwood  and  says :  "Take  a  siesta  while  I 
fix  things."  Gazing  out  from  her  leafy  bower  Estrella 
can  see  the  easy  grace  with  which  he  hitches  the  ani 
mals  by  their  riatas  in  such  manner  that  they  can  get 
plenty  of  good  grazing,  and  taking  their  baggage  off 
the  pack  mule,  makes  preparations  for  a  mid-day  camp, 
kindling  in  a  hollow  a  fire  of  dry  wood  so  as  to  give 
out  as  little  smoke  as  possible. 

Zelma  has  proffered  her  assistance,  but  Hampton 
says  to  her  considerately :  "No,  you're  too  tired,  my 
poor  girl.  Do  what  you  can  for  your  mistress,  and  then 
lie  down  yourself.  I  can  get  a  frontier  meal  a  good 
deal  easier  than  you  can." 

He  is  busied  about  these  things,  as  Wild  Harry 
comes  loping  up  on  his  mustang  carrying  in  his  hand 
a  fine  young  wild  turkey;  across  his  saddle  hangs  a 
two-pronged  buck. 

"Reckon  here  are  some  nice  things  for  yer  white 
teeth,"  he  chuckles  to  Miss  Godfrey,  "This  gobbler  is 
as  tender  as  chicken" ;  then  cries :  "Let  me  do  the 
chores,  Cap,  while  you  rummage  up  some  sweet  doin's 
tor  the  prai-ha-rie  princess."  With  this  Mr.  Love  goes 
to  butchering  and  dressing  the  game. 

Half  an  hour  afterwards,  Miss  Godfrey  is  aroused 
from  her  siesta  to  be  astounded  at  a  backwoods  meal. 
"Didn't  know  ye  could  get  such  nice  things  on  the 
prairie,  did  yer?  Try  yer  teeth  on  this  ere  ven'son 


THE  SPY  COMPANY.  129 

steak.  No,  filled  up  on  turkey  ?"  remarks  Wild  Harry, 
during  the  repast,  "Keep  a  hole  in  ye  for  the  strawber 
ries." 

"Strawberries?" 

"Yes,  and  honey.  Look  here,"  and  the  frontiers 
man  laughs  as  Hampton  produces  from  a  lot  of  big 
leaves  into  which  he  has  gathered  them,  a  pile  of 
freshly  plucked,  red,  juicy  prairie  strawberries  that 
have  ripened  under  the  hot  Southern  sun. 

"And — and  honey?"  says  the  young  lady,  her  pearly 
teeth  crunching  some  combs  full  of  sweetness. 

"Why,  yes,"  remarks  Wild  Harry.  "Bless  yer  heart, 
didn't  ye  know  every  tenth  tree  about  here  is  a  bee  tree? 
Didn't  ye  hear  hummin'  'nough  in  the  air  ?  Waugh ! 
Ye'd  go  through  the  prairies  and  starve  to  death  with 
plenty  around  ye." 

During  this  Hampton  has  said  little,  some  problem 
of  travel  apparently  being  in  his  mind,  but  Miss  God 
frey  has  several  times  turned  grateful  eyes  upon  the 
Texan  Captain,  not  only  for  the  consideration  with 
which  he  has  anticipated  her  every  want,  but  for  the 
generous  courtesy  that  Zelma  has  received  at  his  hands, 
her  maid's  comfort  being  looked  after  as  carefully  as 
if  the  octoroon  were  a  fine  lady. 

Consideration  of  Zelma  puts  an  idea  into  her  mis 
tress's  vivacious  brain.  She  turns  to  Wild  Harry  and 
asks,  a  slight  hesitancy  in  her  manner  and  almost  a 
pleading  in  her  voice :  "Mr.  Love,  you  know  my 
father  very  well ;  is  he  a  very  stern  and  severe  man  ?" 

"Why,  bless  ye,  he's  as  kind  a  fellow  as  ever  was 
good  to  a  frontier  boy,"  answers  Harry  so  enthusi 
astically  that  Miss  Godfrey's  face  lights  up  with  pleas 
ure.  She  nods  smilingly  at  Zelma,  whose  eyes  have 
grown  very  anxious  at  her  mistress's  question,  and 
cries  reassuringly:  "You  see!" 

As  they  finish  the  meal  Hampton  suggests :     "We'd 


I3O  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

better  cook  enough  to  last  us  for  a  day  or  two.  By 
to-night  we'll  be  getting  in  the  range  of  the  Comanches 
coming  up  from  foray  across  the  Rio  Grande,  and  it 
may  not  be  prudent  to  light  a  fire.  I  saw  what  were 
smoke  signals,  I  think,  to  the  north  of  us." 

"So  did  I,  Cap,"  returns  Wild  Harry,  "but  didn't 
cackle  about  it,  reckonin'  they  were  mirages." 

"Of  course,  they  were  very  faint,  and  I  may  have 
been  mistaken.  They  must  have  been  nearly  thirty 
miles  away,"  replies  Hampton.  "But  it's  best  to  be 
safe."  His  glance  has  concern  in  it  as  he  turns  to  Miss 
Godfrey  and  says:  "I  don't  want  to  alarm  you,  but 
you  should  know  what  may  be  before  you." 

As  he  leads  her  horse  up  to  her  Estrella  holds  out 
her  little  moccasin  to  place  it  in  his  hand  for  him  to 
put  her  in  the  saddle.  But  he  astonishes  her  by  say 
ing  •  "It  would  be  more  than  pleusant  to  do  you  the 
service,  Miss  Godfrey,  but  I  want  you  to  learn  to  take 
care  of  yourself  here." 

"So  you  won't  assist  me  into  the  saddle  ?"  she  asks, 
a  slight  moue  giving  piquancy  to  her  face. 

"On  the  prairie  a  woman  who  can't  mount  a  horse 
by  herself  is  at  times  mighty  helpless.  Just  try  to  get 
on  your  mare  man-fashion,  so  as  to  be  independent  of 
me."  He  holds  Mulefoot  very  carefully  and  instructs 
her  how  to  put  her  foot  in  the  stirrup  and  swing  her 
self  into  the  saddle. 

After  a  little  he  suggests :  "Do  it  without  my  hold 
ing  your  mare.  Do  it  all  by  yourself,  as  if  you  were 
out  alone  in  the  wilderness." 

In  a  few  essays,  Miss  Godfrey  succeeding  in  this,  he 
says  with  a  slight  sigh :  "Now  you're  more  back 
woods."  For  this  lesson  in  equestrianism  has  been  a 
very  pleasant  one  to  the  riding  master;  several  times 
his  hand  has  touched  that  of  his  fair  pupil. 

"Yes,  I  feel  as  if  civilization  were  a  hundred  thousand 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  131 

miles  away  from  me!"  cries  the  girl.  "Wild  turkeys 
and  deer !  Some  day  you  must  teach  me  to  shoot  with 
a  rifle  so  I  can  do  my  own  hunting." 

The  "some  day"  seems  very  pleasant  to  Hampton. 
It  suggests  that  the  beautiful  creature  by  his  side 
thinks  he  will  not  pass  out  of  her  life  entirely  with  this 
prairie  ride.  Then  the  words  of  Pelham,  the  dragoon, 
come  back  to  him  and  make  the  future  look  very  blank. 
He  calls  shortly :  "Love,  have  you  put  Zelma  into  the 
saddle?"  Next  suddenly  exclaims:  "Where's  Wild 
Harry?" 

"Mr.  Love  rode  back  on  the  trail,"  answers  the  octo 
roon. 

"And  I  did  not  hear  his  horse's  hoofs,"  mutters  the 
Texan  Ranger  in  a  dazed  way.  "What's  come  into 
my  ears  ?"  Miss  Godfrey,  who  is  already  mounted,  is 
blushing  slightly. 

The  next  moment  Hampton  is  once  more  alert.  "If 
Love  rode  back  on  the  trail,  he's  seen  something,"  he 
says  as  he  hastily  swings  Zelma  into  her  saddle  and 
goes  to  packing  the  mule  with  a  cool  but  wonderful 
dexterity. 

This  he  has  not  finished  before  Love  makes  his  ap 
pearance.  Riding  in  from  behind  a  timber  motte,  he 
cries :  "Cap,  there's  somebody  coming  after  us  along 
the  trail !" 

"Who?" 

"Can't  tell." 

"How  many?" 

"Only  one." 

"Are  you  sure  there  is  only  one?" 

"Certain  as  I'm  chawing  terbaccy!  It's  too  far  off 
for  me  to  make  him  out,  but  I  can  see  him  every  time 
he  gets  out  into  the  air  line  as  he  passes  the  timber." 

"Very  well.  We'll  wait  for  him,"  says  Hampton, 
laying  his  hand  upon  Mis?  G<Mf<r";<>  bridle,  for  she 


132  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

has  rather  timidly  and  excitedly  started  to  ride  off. 
"Don't  you  think  Harry  and  I  are  good  for  one?"  he 
laughs. 

"Yes,  for  twenty  of  them,"  she  answers  confidently. 

"Just  ride  back,  Harry,  a  little  bit  and  see  who  it  is, 
and  also  that  there  is  no  one  following  him.  Be 
mighty  careful  of  that!"  directs  Hampton,  and  fin 
ishes  leisurely  the  packing  of  the  mule. 

Five  minutes  after  Wild  Harry  rides  in  again.  He 
says :  "Golly,  here's  news  for  ye !" 

"There  are  more  following  him?"  asks  Hampton 
quickly,  and  springs  into  his  saddle. 

"No — but  perhaps  thar  ought  ter  be,"  chuckles  Love. 
"Sure  as  snakes  ain't  'gators,  it's  a  woman  that's  trail 
ing  us." 

"You're  crazy !" 

"No,  I  ain't;  I'm  only  cute.  I  kin  see  the  flopping 
of  her  skirts." 

A  minute  or  two  afterwards  Hampton,  returning 
from  personal  observation,  says:  "Blazes,  you're 
right !"  then  mutters  in  perturbed  tones :  "It's  Car- 
melita." 

"The — the  dancing  girl !"  ejaculates  Miss  Godfrey, 
a  curious  look  coming  over  her  face. 

"And  jumping  jerrico,  how  she  is  comin' !  Can't 
keep  away  from  ye,  Cap,  can  she?"  cries  Love,  jovially. 
"Didn't  I  tell  ye,  Miss  Godfrey,  he  war  always  ace  high 
with  womankind?" 

At  this  Estrella  can  see  the  Texan  Captain  bite  his 
lip  beneath  his  mustache  and  give  Mr.  Love  a  decidedly 
unpleasant  glance  for  his  panegyric,  as  he  directs  sharp 
ly:  "Take  post  upon  our  backtrail  and  see  no  cursed 
Greasers  are  sneaking  after  her.  She's  hand-and-glove 
with  half  the  bandits  on  the  border." 

As  Wild  Harry  turns  his  mustang  away  Carmelita 


THE    SPY   COMPANY.  133 

dashes  past  him,  bringing  with  her  into  this  quiet,  green 
prairie  glade  passion  undisciplined,  unbridled. 

Mounted  upon  a  mustang  whose  sides  are  throbbing 
and  whose  parched  tongue  is  hanging  out  between  his 
lips,  the  perspiration  and  dust  of  rapid  travel  upon  her 
excited  and  piquant  features,  she  sharply  reins  up  her 
steed  upon  his  haunches  before  the  Texan,  and  pants : 
"Thank  God,  I've — I've  overtaken  you !" 

Here  Miss  Godfrey  is  almost  shocked  at  the  stern 
ness  with  which  Hampton  greets  the  dancing  girl. 
"Well,  what  are  you  following  us  for?"  asks  the  Ran 
ger  Captain,  coldly  and  shortly. 

"O  Dios  mio,  you  speak  in  that  tone  to  me — when 
T  have  ridden  risking  my  life  to  save  yours !"  wails  the 
girl,  still  struggling  for  breath.  "Santos,  you're  cruel." 
Her  dark  brown  eyes  blaze  in  a  kind  of  agony. 

"To  save  my  life!     What  do  >ou  mean?" 

"This,"  answers  Carmelita,  a  low,  despairing  misery 
in  her  liquid  voice,  and  her  speech  broken  in  its  Eng 
lish  accent  by  the  terrible  exertion  of  her  ride  and  per 
chance  the  excitement  that  is  in  her.  "This!  Last 
night  an  espia  of  Carrabijol,  he  came  to  me;  he  say: 
'Catch  her,  the  American  heiress.  Go  over  to  the 
Goliad  House  and  see  who  rides  with  her  on  the  prairie 
to-morrow,  and  if  she  is  easy  prey.'  Then  I  go  over. 
I  ask ;  I  inquire." 

"And  you  have  told?  God  forgive  you!"  screams 
Estrella. 

"No.  I  go  back.  I  say :  'It  is  no  good.  The 
Yankee  donna  has  two  companies  of  dragoons  to  ride 
with  her  to  San  Antonio,  Taylor's  boys  that  you  fear.' 
To  myself  I  say :  'Hampton  goes  with  her.  Now  I 
have  saved  him.  There  will  be  no  pursuit.'  But  this 
morning  I  find  the  espia — he  is  so  cunning — he  has  dis 
covered  that  only  two  men  go  with  the  Americana. 
He  doesn't  know  what  two  men,  or  perhaps  he  be 


134  THE  SPY  COMPANY. 

frightened.  But  the  man  from  the  ferry  that  he  keep 
there  to  find  out,  come  riding  back  and  tell  him  only 
two  caballeros  ride  with  the  American  girl." 

"The  damned  cigarette  smoker !"  mutters  Love,  who 
is  not  out  of  earshot.  "Whaugh,  when  I  draw  bead 
on  him  he'll  watch  the  ferry  over  the  Jordan,  he  will !" 

"Then  when  the  spy  hear,"  breaks  out  Carmelita, 
"he  ride  to  the  west.  You  know  what  that  means. 
Carrabijol  is  there  or  Canales  with  their  cruel  ranchero 
lancers." 

"How  many?"  asks  Hampton. 

"Oh,  a  hundred,  perhaps.  Perhaps  more ;  too  many 
for  two  men,  no  matter  how  brave.  So  as  soon  as 
the  spy  is  out  of  sight,  I  ride — ride  to  save  you,  to  tell 
you ;  that's  all.  And  you've  treated  me  cruelly.  Now 
I  go  back." 

"No,  you  won't  go  back !"  commands  Hampton,  "not 
over  that  prairie  alone,  unattended.  Believe  me,  I 
thank  you." 

"Bah,  thank  her!"  cries  Carmelita,  waving  her  hand 
savagely  at  Miss  Godfrey,  who  is  gazing  with  dis 
tressed  eyes  upon  the  scene.  Then  she  continues  des 
perately:  "It  is  but  a  three  hours'  ride.  I  must  get 
back  and  be  dancing  my  bolero  in  the  Bella  Union. 
Should  the  espia  guess  that  I  have  warned  you,  it  would 
be  my  death;  not  only  his  machete,  but  the  knife  of 
every  bandit  in  Northern  Mexico  would  be  sharpened 
for  my  heart." 

"Yes,  I  think  you're  about  right,"  remarks  Hampton 
jilter  a  moment's  consideration.  "If  you're  sure  you 
<:an  return?" 

"I  must.  I  dare  not  stay.  Even  you,  my  brave 
Texan  Captain,  couldn't  protect  me  from  Canales  and 
Carrabijol,  because  you  couldn't  be  everywhere.  I 
must  go.  Adios!  Next  time  a  woman  risks  her  life 
for  you  don't  look  at  her  coldly  and  say:  'Why  do 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  135 

you  follow  me?'  even  if  my  coming  make  the  girl, 
whom  you  cannot  look  in  the  face,  jealous  of  me,  this 
Northern  lily  I  had  meant  to  betray.  But  when  it 
gave  my  handsome  Texan  Ranger  to  death,  then,  ca- 
ramba,  I  had  a  conscience !" 

For  one  moment  she  makes  a  picture  of  passion  tre 
mendous,  despairing,  helpless,  but  very  lovely,  in  the 
gaudy  trappings  of  the  Mexican  horsewoman,  as  she 
sits  like  a  portion  of  her  steed,  her  eyes  glowing  yet 
sorrowful  as  they  rest  on  Hampton,  and  sighs :  "Dios 
de  mi  alma,  querido — querido  mio!"  The  next  she 
cries  savagely:  "Vamos!"  claps  her  spurs  into  hef 
horse  and  dashes  back  along  the  trail  towards  the  south. 


CHAPTER  X. 
THE  SMUGGLERS'  TRAIL. 

Having  placed  a  burning  brand  between  these  two, 
Carmelita  has  flown  away,  leaving  behind  her  the  si 
lence  of  the  wilderness.  Her  sad,  despairing  voice  has 
even  awed  Mr.  Love.  The  only  noise  that  strikes  Miss 
Godfrey's  ears  is  the  cawing  of  a  crow  that  seems  en 
raged  at  human  presence ;  as  for  the  young  lady's  eyes, 
they  are  turned  towards  the  ground,  confusion  and 
modesty  almost  make  her  sway  in  the  saddle. 

Fortunately  now,  hurried  action  compels  Hampton 
to  ignore  all  else  but  his  young  charge's  safety.  Life 
and  death  have  precedence  of  even  passion. 

For  a  moment  the  Texan  gazes  shamefacedly  after 
Carmelita  and  mutters  to  Harry:  "Yes,  it's  best. 
The  Greasers  must  not  guess  she  has  brought  word 
to  us.  No  danger  will  come  to  her.  Canales's  ranch- 
eros  riding  up  from  the  southwest  cannot  possibly  in- 


136  TEE   SPY    COMPANY. 

tercept  her.  They'll  not  reach  our  trail  for  twenty 
miles  ahead  of  where  we  are."  He  thinks  for  a  mo 
ment,  then  cries :  "Love,  shin  up  one  of  those  oak  trees 
and  see  if  you  can  still  make  out  the  Indian  smoke  sig 
nals  to  the  north." 

Harry,  throwing  himself  off  his  horse,  goes  up  a 
live  oak  as  quickly  as  a  squirrel,  and  a  minute  after 
reports:  "Yes,  I  kin  see  'em,  though,  of  course, 
they're  awful  faint,"  and  a  moment  after  calls :  "They 
are  smoke  signals  sure  as  bacon  is  fat !" 

Coming  down  the  tree,  he  holds  a  hurried  consulta 
tion  a  little  apart  with  the  Captain.  At  Hampton's 
words  Miss  Godfrey  can  hear  Love  chuckle: 
"Whaugh,  won't  it  be  slick,  sicking  a  panther  on  a 
grizz'ly  ?" 

"Quick,  Harry,"  says  the  Captain,  "ride  over  to  the 
west  and  see  if  you  can  find  the  trail  of  the  Indians. 
If  they're  coming  up  from  the  Rio  Grande  you  should 
cross  their  track  about  six  miles  from  here  at  the  low 
est  ford  on  the  Nueces.  Find  out  their  numbers  and 
all  about  them.  Meet  me  on  the  old  Tobacco  Smug 
glers'  trail." 

As  the  Ranger  takes  his  pace  rapidly  towards  the 
west,  Hampton,  now  leading  the  pack  mule,  rides  along, 
followed  by  Miss  Godfrey  and  her  maid. 

The  gait  of  their  horses  is  sufficiently  easy  to  permit 
Estrella  some  conversation  with  him.  Though  she 
cannot  force  her  eyes  to  meet  the  Texan  Captain's,  she 
falters :  "You're — you're  riding  towards  the  Indians. 
You  dread  the  Mexican  lancers  more  than  you  do 
them  ?" 

''Well,  it's  about  a  toss-up,"  remarks  Shaipe, 
"though  the  Comanches  will  trail  us  with  more  cer 
tainty  than  the  Mexicans." 

"Then  why  go  towards  them  ?  Keep  between  them, 
run  away  from  both." 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  137 

"Oh,  I  want  Canales's  band  to  follow  us." 

"What?" 

"Miss  Godfrey,  I  propose  to  make  Indian  neutralize 
Greaser.  In  a  few  hours  you'll  see  Mr.  Love  and  me 
do  it.  Now,  don't  let  the  matter  worry  you;  only  be 
sure  that  no  harm  will  ever  come  to  you  until  Sharpe 
Hampton  goes  under." 

The  Ranger's  face  has  a  curious  set  expression  on 
it,  but  trying  to  turn  her  mind  from  the  dangers  of  her 
situation  he  gets  to  chatting  to  Estrella  about  the  coun 
try  through  which  they  are  passing,  telling  her  of  the 
old  Tobacco  Smugglers'  trail  he  proposes  to  take ;  how 
it  was  made  before  the  days  of  Texan  independence 
by  wild  contrabandists  coming  from  Matagorda  down 
through  Goliad  of  bloody  memory  to  the  Mexican 
towns  on  the  Rio  Grande,  tobacco  bearing  a  very  high 
import  duty  from  the  Mexican  Government.  To  her 
he  relates  some  curious  anecdotes  of  how  the  smug 
glers  used  to  hire  the  alcaldes  of  the  pueblos  to  let 
them  sell  their  contraband  cigars ;  that  sometimes  after 
the  trade  had  been  finished  the  alcalde,  overcome  by 
fear  or  conscience,  denounced  them  to  officers  in  com 
mand  of  the  Mexican  troops,  who  took  away  all  the 
contrabandist's  gains.  In  that  case  the  smugglers 
generally  knifed  the  alcalde,"  he  laughs.  "Now  the 
trail  is  only  used  by  cowboys.*  In  fact,  Taylor's  army 
has  been  supported  for  the  most  of  the  last  five  months 
by  Mexican  beef,  a  thing  that  doesn't  make  the 
Greasers  feel  very  pleasantly  towards  us." 

As  they  lope  along  he  goes  to  pointing  out  honey 
trees  to  his  exquisite  companion,  telling  her  how  the 


*  "Cowboy"  was  the  term  at  that  time  applied  to  the  wild 
Texas  man  who  rode  down  to  the  Rio  Grande  and  looted 
Mexican  stock,  quite  often  massacring  the  vacqueros  who  tried 
to  defend  it.  Their  plunder  was  driven  for  sale  to  San  Antonio 
and  even  at  times  supplied  the  market  of  Galveston. — Editor. 


*38  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

bee-hunters  discover  them  by  catching  a  few  of  the 
insects  and  watching  their  flights,  which  are  always 
in  straight  lines,  that  where  two  lines  oj_  flight  inter 
sect  there  must  be  the  bee  tree.  "That's  the  way 
Harry  found  that  honey-comb,  I  reckon,  that  you  en 
joyed  at  lunch,"  he  continues.  "And  look  here!  If 
you're  lost,  there's  no  danger  of  your  starving  in  this 
part  of  the  world.  Two  months  from  now  there'll  be  lots 
of  the  finest  plums  and  peaches.  At  present,  here  are 
all  the  strawberries  you  want;  only  look  out  for  a 
sunny  mound  and  put  aside  the  long  grass,  and  you'll 
get  enough  to  support  you  for  a  day  or  two." 

Then  he  gets  to  telling  the  young  lady  anecdotes  of 
frontier  life,  describing  to  her  the  celebrated  "Old 
Aunt  Beck,"  who  used  to  keep  a  tavern  on  the  Smug 
glers'  Trail,  up  towards  Refugio,  where  the  fight  was 
made  in  the  mission  church  by  the  Texan  boys,  "the 
little  brothers"  the  men  called  them ;  that  some  of  these 
lads  hardly  strong  enough  to  carry  a  rifle  held  the 
mission  yard  against  the  assaults  of  Mexican  Reg 
ulars  under  Urea,  until  compelled  to  draw  off  by 
Ward's  orders,  they  had  to  leave  three  of  the  children 
who  were  wounded;  and  then  the  Greasers  entered 
the  churchyard  and  cut  the  little  fellows'  throats. 

By  this  time  the  young  lady  has  grown  so  interested 
in  and  so  impressed  by  his  conversation  that  she  has 
forgotten  Carmelita's  insinuation,  and  her  eyes  again 
meet  the  Texan's,  though  once  or  twice  they  droop 
under  his  earnest  gaze.  In  fact,  the  very  incidents  of 
travel  compel  intimacy  with  her  cavalier. 

Twice  he  stops  and  gets  water  for  his  charge;  like 
wise  taking  the  same  good  care  of  Zelma.  Once, 
noting  the  china  doll  delicacy  of  the  attendant,  he  asks, 
very  seriously,  if  she  can  support  the  ride.  "Yes,  any 
thing  to  save  me  from  the  Indians !"  shudders  the  octo- 


THE  SPY  COMPANY.  139 

roon.  But,  unaccustomed  to  the  saddle,  Zelma  has 
grown  very  weary. 

As  for  Miss  Godfrey,  the  horseback  exercise  she  has 
almost  daily  taken  in  New  York  now  does  her  very 
good  service,  and  she  rides  on  quite  buoyantly  and 
easily,  though  there  is  an  eager  anxiety  in  her  as  she 
notes  the  Texan's  eyes  every  moment  searching  the 
horizon. 

On  one  or  two  occasions  he  halts  the  young  women 
and  walks  slightly  in  advance  to  some  ridge  in  the 
prairie,  where  he  can  take  observation,  for  he  keeps 
their  horses  in  the  low  swales,  protected  from  view  as 
much  as  possible  by  the  mottes  of  timber,  though  the 
mustangs'  hoofs  in  the  soft  soil  make  deep  imprints. 

"Can  the  lancers  not  follow  our  track  very  easily?" 
whispers  Estrella,  nervously,  to  him  as  they  ride. 

"Yes,  I  want  them  to." 

"Oh,  goodness!"  She  can't  repress  a  slight  shud 
der  of  her  graceful  shoulders. 

"Canales  coming  after  us  will  strike  our  trail  about 
here,  I  think,  two  hours  from  now,"  Hampton  ob 
serves,  but  most  of  the  time  his  gaze  is  directed  ahead 
of  them.  Once,  assisting  Miss  Godfrey  from  the  sad 
dle,  he  leads  her  on  foot  into  a  copse  of  plum  trees 
rather  higher  than  the  rest.  Here,  her  mentor  point 
ing  cautiously  to  the  north,  she  can  just  descry  two 
faint  columns  of  vapor  a  few  miles  apart  from  each 
other  that  are  at  times  curiously  intermittent.  "The 
signals  of  the  Comanches,"  he  says.  "Remember  that 
whenever  you  see  smoke  coming  up  irregularly  as  if 
at  times  it  were  restrained,  it  probably  means  Indian 
signals.  The  accursed  savages  craftily  hold  their  blan 
kets  over  the  fire  and  let  the  smoke  out  in  puffs  of 
varying  sizes,  telegraphing  their  movements  to  each 
other." 

All  the  time  their  speed  is  kept  at  about  a  certain 


140  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

rate,  as  if  the  Ranger  meant  to  make  a  certain  point 
at  an  exact  time.  About  half  an  hour  after  this  he 
turns  his  horse  sharply  to  the  north  and  says  to  Miss 
Godfrey:  "The  Smugglers'  Trail." 

"The  Smugglers'  Trail  ?     I  don't  see  anything  of  it." 

"No,  but  it's  easy  enough  to  a  frontiersman's  eyes. 
Look,  the  old  hoof  marks  off  there  in  the  dry  adobe. 
Notice  how  the  ground  is  worn  down  a  little  lower 
than  the  rest  of  the  prairie,  though  the  grass  is  grow 
ing  on  it?  But  see,  here  comes  Love!"  Hampton 
points  two  miles  off  towards  the  southwest. 

"My,  how  he's  riding!"  cries  the  neophyte  in  wood 
craft.  "Carefully,  too.  He's  turned  off  out  of  his 
course,  because  it  would  lead  him  into  the  open  prairie 
and  is  coming  round  that  island  of  pecans.  Still,  how 
did  you  first  get  your  eye  on  him  at  so  great  a  dis 
tance  ?" 

"Why,  didn't  you  see  that  herd  of  deer  run  out  of 
that  copse  ahead  of  Harry?"  remarks  the  Texan. 
"Wild  animals  by  their  movements  often  tell  you  what's 
going  on.  In  this  well-stocked  country  always  dis 
trust  a  trail  upon  which  you  see  no  game.  It's  almost 
a  sure  sign  Indians  are  near  it." 

Ten  minutes  after  Love  overtakes  them.  "I  found 
the  Comanche  trail  going  to  the  north,"  he  says,  terse 
ly.  "They  spread  at  the  crossin'  of  the  Nueces  into 
two  bands,  one  about  forty,  t'other  nigh  onto  thirty 
warriors.  That's  thar  smoke  signals  up  north." 

"What  time  did  they  pass  the  river?" 

"Just  after  sun  up.  The  dew  was  on  the  grass  when 
their  ponies  went  over  it,  and  no  dew  has  fallen  on  it 
since.  They've  been  down  on  the  Rio  Grande;  got 
some  captives  with  them,  and  plunder.  Led  horses 
were  plentiful." 

"Driving  any  cattle?"  asks  Hampton,  sharply. 

"Nary  a  hoof!" 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  141 

"Thank  God,"  answers  the  Texan.  "Then  they 
won't  hesitate  to  come  on  the  back  trail.  Did  you  see 
any  Greaser  sign?" 

"Wall,  I  kinder  think  I  did,  Cap.  Just  after  I  left 
the  Nueces  I  got  a  good  view  of  open  prairie  to  the 
south.  On  its  horizon  I  caught  the  flicker  of  a  lance- 
head  or  some  bright  arms,  but  oh,  an  awful  long  way 
off!" 

"Then  we're  about  midway  between  the  Greasers  and 
the  Comanches,"  replies  Hampton.  "We'll  travel  on 
kinder  slow."  He  looks  up  to  the  sun.  "About  three 
hours  more  of  it !  We'll  give  the  Greasers  just  twenty- 
five  miles  to  follow  us.  That'll  make  it  about  a  little 
after  dark  when  they  overtake  us,  and  then " 

"Whaugh,"  guffaws  Harry,  "if  we  kin  do  it." 

"We've  got  to  do  it !"  mutters  Hampton,  looking  at 
his  delicate  charge.  "She  could  never  stand  a  ride  of 
perhaps  a  hundred  miles  to  distance  the  Comanches. 
Those  Greaser  lancers  are  a  God's  gift  to  us." 

Soon  Miss  Godfrey,  watching  their  movements,  sees 
that  time  enters  into  all  the  calculations  of  these  men. 
Several  times  as  they  journey  on  Hampton  glances  at 
the  sun.  About  an  hour  before  sunset  he  says : 
"Harry,  now's  our  time.  Miss  Godfrey,  you've  got  to 
travel  fast.  Go  loping  through  the  soft  places.  Make 
a  good  broad  trail."  Urged  by  him,  the  party  proceed 
quite  speedily  for  five  miles. 

All  the  time  the  Indian  smokes  are  growing  nearer. 
Getting  beside  Hampton,  Estrella  whispers  with  pal 
lid  lips :  "We  are  riding  right  onto  the  Comanches. 
Don't  you  see  their  smoke — only  five  miles  away  ?" 

"Yes,  they  have  been  hunting  or  camped,  taking  a 
rest  from  their  long  foray.  Their  ponies'll  be  quite 
fresh  this  evening.  So  much  the  worse  for  our 
Greaser  friends,"  says  Sharpe  dryly. 

"So  much  the  worse  for  us!    You're — you're  not 


142  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

going  nearer  them  ?"  pleads  the  girl  in  frightened  tone. 
"Well,  just  a  little."  But  soon  the  Ranger  doesn't 
seem  to  care  to  take  any  greater  chances.  "There  may 
be  some  outlying  braves  hunting  deer,"  he  mutters. 
"Best  no  farther,  Harry.  Now  turn  around  and  race 
to  that  big  live  oak  about  three  miles  back.  The  one 
I  pointed  out  to  you  about  thirty  yards  from  that  cane- 
brake  chaparral,"  he  whispers  to  Miss  Godfrey. 

"But  the  Indians — they  will  discover  our  trail,  they 
will  follow  us." 

"I  want  them  to  follow  us." 
"What!" 

"Don't  get  excited.  Watch!"  For  the  first  time 
this  grim  day  the  Captain  chuckles  slightly. 

They  have  raced  back  to  the  live  oak  tree.  "Now, 
Harry,  hide  our  tracks !"  he  commands. 

With  this  the  Rangers  spring  off  their  horses  ind 
throw  all  their  blankets  and  horse  clothes  on  the 
ground,  not  even  exempting  Miss  Godfrey's.  WTith 
these  they  carpet  the  seventy-five  feet  of  ground  from 
the  trail  to  the  canebrake.  They  have  selected  the 
spot  very  carefully.  It  is  one  where  there  is  but  little 
or  no  grass  to  be  pressed  down. 

Over  these  blankets  each  horse  is  carefully  led  and 
secreted  in  the  rank  canebrake  of  prickly  pears,  cacti 
and  mesquite  bushes  that  borders  a  swamp  through 
which  runs  a  little  stream,  probably  a  tributary  to  the 
Aranzas. 

"Now,  Harry,  the  fire  before  it  is  too  dark  for  both 
Indians  and  Greasers  to  see  the  smoke.  Put  plenty 
of  wet  wood  on." 

Mr.  Love,  gliding  out  over  the  blankets  carefully, 
takes  off  his  moccasins  and  travels  quickly  to  a  place 
just  off  the  Smugglers'  Trail  that  might  be  selected  by 
a  careless  camping  party. 

From  here  in  a  minute  or  two  rises  a  high  column  of 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  143 

dense  smoke  easily  discernible  in  the  red  rays  of  the 
setting  sun. 

"Mercy,  it  will  bring  both  lancers  and  Indians  upon 
us!"  whispers  Miss  Godfrey. 

"Yes,"  says  Hampton,  with  a  grim  smile,  "both'll 
come  racing  to  it." 

"And  then,  whaugh!"  chuckles  Wild  Harry,  who 
has  returned  to  them,  obliterating  with  great  circum 
spection  every  indication  of  their  movements,  even 
blowing  up  with  the  breath  of  his  lips  the  blades  of 
grass  as  each  blanket  is  removed  and  concealed  in  the 
canebrake. 

"Now,  quick,  take  me  from  here!"  begs  Estrella. 
"And  run  into  that  party  of  Indians  coming  from 
across  the  prairie,"   Hampton  points  to  the  further 
smoke  signal.     "No ;  we  must  stay  here  till  Comanche 
and  Greaser  get  to  work  on  each  other ;  then  light  out." 
"You  think  they  will  do  it  ?" 

"Just  as  sure  as  the  Mexicans  are  lookin'  for  your 
purty  face  and  the  Comanches  is  huntin'  for  scalps!" 
grins  Wild  Harry. 

So  in  the  seclusion  of  the  canebrake  comes  to  Miss 
Godfrey  the  agony  of  suspense.  Shuddering  at  each 
noise  of  the  wild  wood,  this  delicate  girl,  who  but  a 
month  before  had  been  the  belle  of  Washington  Square 
and  University  Place  dances  in  far-away  New  York, 
cowers  in  the  tangled  chaparral  awaiting  the  coming 
of  barbarous  enemies  on  one  side  and  bloodthirsty  sav 
ages  on  the  other. 

As  she  crouches  there  the  shadows  of  the  very  last 
sun  ray  falling  through  the  matted  leaves  and  briars  of 
the  jungle,  the  thing  would  seem  a  horrible  phantasy 
to  her  did  she  not  hear  the  sharp  clicks  of  gun  locks 
as  the  men  who  guard  her  prepare  their  weapons  for 
immediate  use. 


144  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

Suddenly  Hampton  whispers  :  "Hoofs  at  a  distance. 
Muffle  our  horses.  A  single  neigh  will  betray  us." 

So  the  two  men  blanket  the  heads  of  the  animals, 
who  have  grown  strangely  restive,  holding  the  horses' 
nostrils  tightly  while  they  do  it. 

She  listens  again,  and  Wild  Harry  mutters  below 
his  breath :  "Hoofs  t'other  way !  Hear  'em  corn- 
in'  ? " 

"Yes,  from  the  north,  unshod,"  whispers  Hampton. 
Then  he  half  laughs :  "Both  gangs  of  devils  racing 
for  a  fire  whose  smoke  shows  it  has  been  made  by 
people  innocent  of  the  backwoods  and  easy  prey." 

By  this  time  the  gloom  is  such  Estrella  cannot  dis 
tinguish  details  at  a  distance,  but  the  frontier  senses 
of  the  men  beside  her  do.  "By  Goliah,  the  Injuns'll 
be  here  fust !"  mutters  Wild  Harry. 

"Yes,  but  with  Comanche  caution  they've  halted," 
replies  the  Captain.  "Ah,  they've  sent  a  scout  ahead !" 

And  Estrella  sees  in  the  sunset  glow  the  gleaming 
figure  of  a  naked  savage  in  full  war  paint,  with  lance 
at  a  carry  and  short  bow  ready  for  use,  as  he  lopes 
down  the  trail,  looking  cautiously  to  right  and  left  of 
him. 

Even  in  the  half  light  something  just  at  the  point 
they  have  left  the  trail  seems  unnatural  to  the  observ 
ing  eye  of  the  savage.  He  checks  his  horse  suddenly, 
and  he  and  his  steed  become  a  statue  in  the  red  after 
glow  of  the  prairie  sunset. 

"Shall  I  take  him  ?"  whispers  Wild  Harry,  his  long 
Kentucky  rifle  sighted  for  the  Indian's  heart. 

For  answer  Hampton  puts  restraining  hand  upon 
him;  then  mutters:  "Thank  God!"  For  the  clank 
ing  of  metal  horse  trappings,  the  rattle  of  Mexican 
cavalry  accoutrements  and  the  quick  hoof  sounds  of 
the  ranchero  squadron  now  catch  the  Indian's  atten 
tion.  Not  over  a  second  he  listens ;  then  they  can  see 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  145 

him  glide  silently  back,  like  a  spectre  horseman  in  the 
gloaming. 

"By  gum,  the  Greasers  come  just  in  time  to  save  our 
bacon !"  chuckles  Love. 

Straining  her  ears,  Estrella  catches  Spanish  voices 
in  excitable  execration  as  the  rancheros,  arriving  at 
the  camp-fire,  discover  that  their  prey  has  fled  from 
them.  Though  it  is  dark  now,  the  trail  is  an  easy  one, 
and  they  come  dashing  on,  chattering  recklessly  in 
their  Latin  way,  yet  some  muttered  carambas  indicate 
their  cruel  intent. 

"By  the  Eternal,"  says  Hampton,  "the  Comanches 
have  ambushed  them.  They'll  get  it  good !" 

Now  the  girl  shudders  and  half  screams  as  she  sees 
through  the  gloom  of  the  evening  the  shining  forms 
of  the  savages  on  horseback  closing  in  like  spectres 
round  the  rancheros.  Then  she  claps  her  hands  to  her 
ears,  for  greeting  them  is  that  horrid  yell  which  has 
proclaimed  death,  outrage  and  torture  to  many  a  Texas 
maid  in  her  log  cabin  home,  the  wild  Comanche-war 
cry!  She  sees  the  braves  in  their  war  paint  driving 
their  bloody  spears  into  the  Mexicans,  whom  they  de 
spise  yet  slaughter.  Over  this  ring  out  the  loud  re 
ports  of  escopetas  and  pistols,  the  clash  of  steel  on 
lance,  mingled  with  Spanish  carajos,  the  twang  of 
Indian  bows,  the  hissing  of  Indian  arrows  and  the  dull 
thud  of  horses'  hoofs  as  they  charge  upon  the  prairie. 

Then  all  dies  away  in  a  horrid  jumble  going  rapidly 
towards  the  south,  leaving  behind  only  the  moans  of 
the  dying  and  the  shrieks  of  scalped  and  mangled 
wretches. 

"Blowed  if  the  Yaller  bellies  ain't  flyin*  from  the 
Red  bellies!  Hope  they've  scalped  Carrabijol!"  guf 
faws  Harry. 

"Quick,  let  us  go !"  commands  Hampton. 

At  his  words  Miss  Godfrey  finds  herself  lifted  into 


146  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

her  saddle  and  her  horse  rushed  through  the  cane- 
brake  into  the  creek ;  Harry,  following  after,  doing  the 
same  with  Zelma. 

To  her  escort  Estrella  shudders:  "You  are  going 
south.  You  are  following  the  Indians." 

"Yes." 

"The  Comanches  may  come  back." 

"The  Comanches  will  come  back.  Trust  the  Indians 
when  they  get  through  slaughtering  Carrabijol's  men 
to  return  to  find  out  who  lighted  that  prairie  fire! 
They're  sure  to  discover  our  trail,  so  I  don't  want  them 
to  know  which  way  we  have  travelled.  If  they  guess 
we  are  going  north,  those  crafty  demons  will  intercept 
us  at  the  fords  of  Blanco  Creek." 

So  they  dash  into  the  brook,  heading  to  the  south, 
and  travel  down  it  for  some  hundred  yards ;  then  their 
horses  are  turned  in  midstream  and  hurried  back,  keep 
ing  well  in  the  current.  They  have  passed  the  place 
they  entered  the  stream,  and  now  they  dash  through 
the  waters  of  the  swampy  creek  for  two  miles,  Miss 
Godfrey  shuddering  as  alligators  flop  off  their  logs 
and  moccasin  snakes  hiss  from  the  cypress  trees,  until 
Hampton,  finding  a  proper  place,  takes  them  carefully 
out  through  the  canebrake  into  the  open  prairie. 

"Now  ride  fast !"  commands  the  Ranger  Captain. 
"Those  red  devils  are  sure  to  find  our  trail  before  morn 
ing.  Ride !  We  must  reach  the  crossing  of  Blanco 
Creek  before  those  painted  centaurs  get  there !" 

And  they  do  ride !  Miss  Godfrey,  almost  reeling  in 
her  saddle  from  fatigue,  finds  that  the  horseback  exer 
cise  she  had  taken  each  day  in  New  York  helps  her, 
but  soon  a  faint  cry  from  behind  indicates  her  maid 
can  ride  no  more. 

"Reckon  we've  got  to  tie  the  wench  on  her  mus 
tang!"  remarks  Love,  looking  at  the  almost  fainting 
octoroon. 


THE    SPY    COMPANY.  147 

"She's  too  far  gone  for  that ;  it  would  kill  her,"  dis 
sents  Sharpe. 

Then  he  springs  into  his  saddle  with  Zelma  in  his 
clutch,  who  is  so  worn  out  she  cannot  speak;  and  so, 
carrying  one  of  the  despised  race  right  tenderly  in  his 
strong  arms,  he  rides  into  her  mistress's  heart. 
Though  Estrella  is  nigh  fainting  herself,  she  gives  her 
cavalier  a  look  that,  could  he  see  it  in  the  gloom,  would 
make  him  think  that  midnight  trail  through  swamps, 
over  prairies,  amid  thorny  chaparral,  was  one  of  the 
aisles  of  Paradise. 

But  not  guessing  this  and  anxious  for  her  safety,  he 
whispers  to  his  charge :  "You  can  keep  up!  You 
must  keep  up!  We  have  got  to  ford  the  Blanco  be 
fore  I  give  you  rest,  brave  girl !" 

"Don't  fear,  I'll  keep  up.  Who  could  flinch  with 
you  to  aid  her?"  she  half  moans  under  the  unceasing 
travail  of  her  galloping  steed. 

But,  despite  her  words,  this  beautiful  and  delicate 
neophyte  of  the  border  is  so  exhausted  she  scarce  has 
her  senses  as  the  hoofs  of  their  horses  splash  through 
a  running  stream,  and  Mr.  Love  says :  "Whaugh, 
beat  the  Injuns  this  time — the  crossing  of  the  Blanco!" 

What  precautions  her  escorts  take  at  the  ford  to 
hide  their  trail  Miss  Godfrey  is  too  exhausted  to  dis 
cover.  She  only  knows  that  some  half  hour  after 
wards  she  sees,  as  in  a  dream,  their  mustangs  drawn 
up  in  some  leafy  covert,  and  Hampton  passing  Zelma 
from  his  saddle  to  Mr.  Love,  who  carries  the  fainting 
girl  away. 

Then  the  frontiersman  springs  off  his  horse  and 
takes  her  in  his  arms  as  tenderly  as  he  would  a  wood 
nymph,  and  bears  her  as  if  she  were  a  precious 
thing,  to  a  couch  of  boughs  and  leaves,  upon  which  he 
has  thrown  her  blankets.  Here,  sinking  down,  she 
gives  a  sigh  of  exhaustion,  yet  content,  as  she  watches 


148  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

this  man  of  iron,  with  pistols  prepared  and  eyes  alert, 
guarding  her  slumbers,  to  make  them  safe  from  man 
and  beast,  amid  the  dangers  of  the  prairies. 

As  she  goes  to  sleep  she  whispers  to  herself  that 
sweet  Spanish  word  she  heard  Carmelita  use  :  "Queri- 
do." 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE  GLORY  OF   HIS   FIGHTING. 

The  midday  hush  of  the  prairie  is  around  her,  its  hot 
sun  is  blazing  down  upon  her  when  Estrella  reopens 
her  eyes  to  a  day  of  strange  passion  with  its  astounding 
joys  and  curious  fears.  For  a  moment  she  looks 
about  her  astonished,  then  physical  anguish  makes  her 
remember.  Every  joint  in  her  delicate  body  seems  to 
have  been  racked  and  made  stiff.  She  who  had  been 
considered  a  dashing  equestrienne  on  Harlem  Lane, 
New  York,  discovers  that  the  wild,  long  night  ride  of 
the  prairies  has  been  altogether  too  cruel  a  travail  for 
her  fair  limbs. 

But  bodily  suffering  is  effaced  by  the  mental  ecstasy  : 
"How  near  I  am  to  my  dear  father."  Then  through 
her  mind  runs  a  stronger  emotion,  a  stranger  joy: 
"He  is  by  me !  He  is  watching  over  me !"  She  does 
not  dare  to  ask  herself  "Who  ?"  but  glances  out  timidly 
from  her  leafy  bower  upon  a  little  prairie  surrounded 
by  thickets  of  plum,  Osage-orange,  oak  and  pecan, 
where  their  caballada  is  grazing  contentedly  on  the 
rich  buffalo  grass,  and  over  which  Mr.  Love,  rifle  in 
hand,  is  keeping  an  alert  eye. 

All  through  this  day  it  is  apparent  that  very  great 
precautions  are  used  for  her  safety.  Her  food  is  given 
to  her  cold  by  Hampton,  who  apologizes  :  "I  dare  not 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  1^9 

have  a  fire  lighted.  These  redskins  are  about  us. 
Their  accursed  eyes  see  everything  on  the  prairie.  We 
must  lie  close,  for  if  you  could  travel,  your  maid  could 
not.  She  has  not  been  inured  to  horseback  exercise." 
This  is  too  true ;  poor  Zelma  can  hardly  move  at  all. 

Every  moment  the  careful,  tireless  watch  of  the 
frontier  is  being  kept  about  her.  Miss  Godfrey  has 
heard  Hampton  whisper  to  Love :  "If  we  are  sur 
prised  these  girls  are  incapable  of  taking  the  saddle. 
Therefore,  keep  the  lookout  of  your  life,  old  man !" 

"Bet  yer  gizzard!"  has  answered  Wild  Harry 
promptly. 

Once  she  has  been  cautioned  by  the  Captain  of 
Rangers :  "Remember,  the  Comanches  are  about !" 
for  Estrella  has  wandered  timidly  away  into  some  cot- 
tonwoods  and  willows  which  mask  a  little  stream  that 
trickles  through  the  prairie  to  join  the  waters  of  the 
Blanco. 

"I — I  just  wanted  to  wash  my  face,"  she  mutters. 
•  "Shucks,  ye'd  look  purty  enough  if  ye  didn't  wash 
at  all !"  Mr.  Love  has  remarked  authoritatively. 

And,  fortunately,  Miss  Godfrey's  beauty  is  that  of 
Nature,  or  it  would  all  have  been  torn  from  her  by  the 
wild  ride  of  the  night  before ;  even  now  her  fair  cheeks 
are  covered  with  dust,  and  her  lovely  hair,  having  es 
caped  from  its  confinement,  is  hanging  in  tangled  curls 
about  her,  well  below  her  waist. 

"It's — it's  hardly  fair,  Captain  Hampton,"  she  says, 
bashfully  but  archly,  "to  look  at  me  before  I've  made 
a  frontier  toilet." 

For  he  is  gazing  with  tender  commiseration  at  his 
exhausted  charge.  He  brings  her  some  wild  flowers 
he  has  plucked  in  the  glade  and  places  carefully  a  sad 
dle  for  her  to  sit  upon.  She  is  pleased  to  see,  he  can't 
keep  his  eyes  off  her.  This  is  not  to  be  wondered  at, 
as  passion  has  made  her  bright  face  exquisitely  ten- 


150  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

cler,  and  the  masses  of  brown  hair  unconventionally  but 
effectively  secured  about  the  graceful  head  permit  the 
sun  to  shine  through  their  loose  bands  and  tint  them 
golden. 

But  all  the  time  the  girl  notices  that,  though  Sharpe 
Hampton  apparently  wishes  to  linger  in  her  presence, 
there  is  a  nervous  restlessness  in  this  man  of  energetic 
temperament.  It  is  not  fear  of  Indian  pursuit,  she  is 
sure,  for  in  making  arrangements  with  Love  about 
this  matter  the  Ranger's  tone  is  cool  and  incisive. 

Perceiving  that  his  eyes  at  times  rest  wistfully  on 
their  horses,  she  murmurs,  a  slight  reproach  in  her 
voice :  "Ah,  you're  anxious  to  get  on  your  journey." 

"I  am,  for  military  reasons,"  he  answers.  "But  I'm 
more  anxious  to  put  you  safe  at  your  father's  hacienda." 

"Then  I  won't  detain  you.  I  can  ride;  I  know  I 
can  ride.  Just  let  me  run  about  a  little  and  I'll  be  as 
active  as  a  fawn !"  asserts  Miss  Godfrey. 

But  Hampton,  looking  at  the  reclining  Zelma,  whose 
well-moulded  yet  languid  Creole  limbs  have  not  been 
inured  to  horseback  exercise,  answers :  "I  believe  you 
could,  but  your  girl  can't." 

"Zelma  shall !"  cries  Estrella.  Striding  to  the  re 
cumbent  octoroon,  she  speaks  in  mistress  tones :  "You 
must  travel!"  but  finds  that  Nature  is  stronger  than 
her  commands,  and  her  slave  cannot. 

Then  come  the  long  hours  of  waiting,  Hampton  and 
Love  from  points  of  vantage  carefully  watching  the 
prairie. 

Gazing  at  them  Estrella  smuggles  Sharpe's  flowers 
into  the  bosom  of  her  tunic  and  grows  petulant,  as  she 
gets  comparatively  little  of  her  cavalier's  attentions,  for 
which  now  she  is  beginning  to  long — yet  dread ;  dread 
— because  she  fears  herself.  She  is  alarmed  at 
the  strange  misery  in  her  heart  as  she  thinks  of  Car- 
melita's  passion  for  the  frontier  Captain,  and  shudders : 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  15 1 

"That  dancing  girl  saved  his  life,  while  I  only  put 
danger  on  it !" 

Wild  Harry  happening  to  be  near  her,  she  diffidently 
whispers  to  him  :  "Did  Carmelita's  warning  out  on  the 
prairie,  the  one  she  risked  her  life  to  bring,  save  him 
from  the  Mexican  lancers  yesterday?" 

"Save  who?" 

"Why — why,  Captain  Hampton,  of  course!" 

"Shucks,  no,"  answers  the  frontiersman.  "We'd 
expected  that  danger  all  along  and  allowed  fur  it  be 
fore  we  started  out  from  Corpus  Christi.  We  talked 
of  it  agin  when  we  see'd  the  Greaser  at  the  ferry  with 
his  horse  marked  with  a  South  Rio  Grande  brand.  Of 
course,  we  didn't  guess  that  a  war  band  of  Comanches 
was  upon  the  trail  ahead  of  us,  but  the  minute  we  saw 
their  smoke  signals  we'd  fixed  our  plans  just  exactly 
how  to  make  the  Greasers  and  redskins  wipe  each  other 
out." 

"Ah,  then  Carmelita  didn't  save  the  Captain's  life?" 
she  asks,  quivering  with  jealous  eagerness. 

"Nary  a  leetle  bit,"  answers  Wild  Harry,  confident 
ly.  "Whaugh,  Sharpe  Hampton  ain't  the  kind  of  crit 
ter  as  needs  any  one  to  save  his  scalp  in  an  Injun  scrim 
mage.  He  kin  take  care  of  himself.  Didn't  he  once 
all  alone  upon  the  San  Saba  save  two  little  children 
from  a  whole  tribe  of  Kiowas?  Why,  darn  it,  what's 
the  matter  with  ye?"  For  Miss  Godfrey  has  turned 
away,  her  eyes  full  of  tears,  but  lighted  up  with  a 
strange,  wistful  delight. 

Shortly  after  blushes  burn  up  the  tears.  The  octo 
roon  has  looked  at  Sharpe  with  grateful  eyes  ever  since 
he  carried  her  through  the  ride  of  the  previous  night. 
Chancing  to  be  in  attendance  upon  Miss  Godfrey,  and 
noting  the  Texan's  gentleness  in  handling  the  horses 
as  he  makes  some  change  in  their  pasturage,  Zelma 


152  THE    SPY    COMPANY. 

suddenly  exclaims  :    "Oh,  if  a  man  like  Captain  Hamp 
ton  could  be  my  master !" 

"Captain  Hampton!  How  could  he  be  your  mas 
ter?"  asks  Estrella,  astonished. 

"Why — why,  by  marrying  you,  of  course,  Miss 
'Strella.  Sometimes  I've  thought  as  he  looked  at  you 
his  eyes  meant " 

But  her  mistress  stays  her  with  a  half  scream  of 
bashful  rage:  "Not  another  word!  My  Heaven,  if 
he  hears  you !"  She  almost  staggers  from  Zelma,  the 
red  blood  pouring  up  through  her  face  till  her  very 
skin  seems  to  burn.  For  an  hour  the  words  of  her 
maid  make  Miss  Godfrey  strangely  cold  to  the  Cap 
tain  of  Rangers  whenever  he  approaches  her,  lured 
even  from  his  duty  of  guarding  her  by  the  desire  to 
look  upon  her  bright  face. 

But  soon  coldness  is  effaced  by  a  new  wild  joy.  Be 
fore  she  had  seen  her  Texan  cavalier  use  the  strategy 
of  the  backwoods  and  the  arts  of  the  frontier  to  save 
her  from  savage  enemies.  Now  she  has  the  glory  of 
beholding  him  fight  for  her ! 

Hampton  is  seated  by  Miss  Godfrey,  telling  her  how 
he  hopes  on  the  morrow  to  put  her  in  her  father's  arms. 
"His  hacienda  is  but  forty  miles  away,"  he  says. 
As  the  words  leave  his  lips,  Estrella  sees  his  whole 
appearance  change.  His  eyes,  that  had  been  soft  and 
tender,  suddenly  light  up  with  the  cold  gleam  with 
which  he  had  cowed  the  Mississippi  gambler,  only  more 
deadly,  more  awful. 

To  her  he  says,  as  he  forces  her  down  behind  the 
bundles  of  the  pack  mule  :  "Use  your  pistols !" 
.  Turning,  she  utters  an  affrighted  cry.  In  the  mid 
dle  of  the  glade,  in  full  war  paint,  mounted  on  his  war 
pony  like  a  statue  of  bronze,  the  sun  lighting  up  his 
gleaming  skin  and  glittering  arms,  is  a  young  Co- 
inanche  brave. 


THE    SPY    COMPANY.  153 

He  is  setting  an  arrow  in  his  bow.  But  as  he  draws 
the  feathered  shaft  to  its  head  a  rifle  cracks  sharp  as 
a  whip  from  the  outlying  thicket,  and,  with  a  stream 
of  blood  spouting  from  his  breast,  the  warrior,  utter 
ing  one  wild  yell  that  echoes  through  the  timber,  falls 
from  his  horse  and  dies. 

"Had  to  shoot  this  time !  The  skunk  see'd  us.  I'll 
take  his  pelt!"  cries  Love,  and  springs  out  into  the 
open.  But  a  band  of  eight  braves  comes  dashing  round 
the  mesquite  bushes  and  in  a  second  Harry  is  on  the 
ground  pinned  by  a  Comanche  lance  through  his  arm. 

To  run  to  his  aid  would  be  too  late  for  Harry's  life. 
So  now  the  Ranger  Captain,  standing  like  a  statue, 
gives  out  death.  To  the  report  of  his  revolving  pistol 
the  savage  raising  scalping  knife  over  Love  falls  dead. 
Then  three  times  in  quick  succession  his  deadly  marks 
manship  shows  itself  in  three  falling  warriors  who  sink 
from  their  horses. 

Another  dies  to  the  crack  of  Love's  pistol,  who,  lying 
upon  the  ground,  has  fired  again.  "Whaugh,  that 
sickened  'em !"  screams  Harry,  as  the  other  three  turn 
and  dash  madly  off,  though  one  leaves  an  arrow  driven 
through  Love's  wounded  arm. 

"Not  one  must  get  back  to  their  band !"  cries  Hamp 
ton  as  he  seizes  the  riata  of  his  steed.  Springing  upon 
the  bare  back  of  the  horse,  armed  only  with  the  pistols 
and  bowie-knife  in  his  belt,  he  dashes  off,  calling  to 
Harry :  "See  to  the  Indian  mustangs !" 

"Follow  him!  Follow!  He  is  going  after  three!" 
cries  the  girl  frantically  to  Love,  who  with  the  arrow 
still  skewering  his  arm,  is  hastily  shooting  the  riderless 
war  ponies.  One  of  these  has  run  out  upon  the  main 
prairie.  Pointing  to  it,  Wild  Harry  says :  "If  it  gets 
back  to  the  Comanches,  it's  track  will  guide  'em  to  us. 
Follow  it  and  kill  it,  for  yer  life." 


154  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

"First  let  me  bind  up  your  wounds.  You'll  bleed 
to  death,"  falters  Estrella. 

"No,  I'll  tend  to  myself.  Git  out  on  that  prairie. 
Kill  that  horse.  Ye've  pistols  in  your  belt-  Kill  the 
Injun's  horse.  That's  our  li\es." 

Wildly  excited,  she  runs  out  upon  the  prairie,  and 
creeping  within  range  of  the  Comanche  war  pony  that 
has  stopped  to  crop  some  pleasant  grasses,  for  a  mo 
ment  cannot  kill  the  beautiful  creature.  Then  murmur 
ing:  "It  is  his  life  as  well  as  mine!"  and  remember 
ing  the  marksmanship  he  had  taught  her,  she  raises 
her  revolver  and  slaughters  the  beast  with  three  nerv- 
ious,  trembling  shots. 

But  her  pursuit  has  taken  her  well  out  on  the  prairie. 
From  here,  she  can  see  Hampton  gaining  stride  by 
stride  on  the  three  Indians,  for  his  horse  is  fresh,  and 
theirs  are  tired  by  the  war  trail.  For  just  a  moment 
she  gives  a  shudder  of  apprehension.  Comanches  are 
no  cowards.  Noting  but  one  man  following  them, 
the  three  warriors  turn.  Even  at  the  distance,  she  can 
hear  the  twanging  of  their  bows  and  see  the  war  ar 
rows  flashing  through  the  sunlight. 

She  runs  frantically  towards  them,  her  pistol  may  aid 
Sharpe !  Probably  the  embarrassment  of  her  presence 
would  give  him  death,  but  fortunately  the  distance  is 
too  great  for  her  to  reach  them.  Even  now  she  sees 
Hampton  spring  off  his  horse,  standing  behind  it  and 
making  a  pivot  of  it  as  the  Indians  circle  round  him. 
Resting  his  long  dragoon  pistol  over  the  animal's  shoul 
der,  he  takes  three  long  shots. 

The  heavy  revolver  does  its  work.  One  Indian  falls 
dead ;  another  desperately  wounded  is  half -dragged  by 
his  pony  into  a  mesquite  thicket ;  then  the  other  flies. 
She  sees  him  speed  off  over  the  prairie  followed  by 
Sharpe,  till  pursued  and  pursuer  pass  out  of  sight 
around  one  of  the  timber  mottes  of  the  prairie. 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  155 

And  she  stands  gazing — gazing  so  eagerly,  she. 
never  notices  the  slight  waving  ripple  that  gradually 
draws  nearer  through  the  long  prairie  grass  which 
rises  almost  to  her  waist. 

After  a  few  minutes  that  seem  an  age,  one  man 
comes  riding  back.  Recognizing  him,  Estrella  gives  a 
sigh  of  joy,  the  tears  coursing  down  her  cheeks  as  she 
is  thanking  God. 

But  not  approaching  her  he  gallops  hurriedly  into  the 
chaparral,  where  the  wounded  Indian's  mustang  had 
dragged  the  warrior.  A  moment  later  he  dashes  out 
of  the  thicket,  and  urging  his  horse  to  its  full  speed, 
flies  straight  towards  her  across  the  prairie,  calling: 
"Use  your  pistol !  Quick,  your  pistol !" 

"On  what?" 

Suddenly  the  girl  sees  on  what.  Rising  before  her, 
wounded  but  deadly,  is  a  Comanche  brave.  Blood  is 
dripping  from  his  naked,  painted  body.  All  he  wants 
is  her  young  life  before  he  dies.  Half  crawling,  half 
staggering,  he  drags  himself  towards  her,  his  eyes 
malevolent,  his  knife  upraised. 

With  trembling  fingers  the  girl  shoots,  and  misses ; 
then  shoots  again,  but  doesn't  stay  him.  What  is  an 
other  flesh  wound  to  a  Comanche  with  a  scalp  in  his 
very  hand  ? 

She  is  fumbling  in  her  belt  for  her  other  pistol,  and 
trying  to  pray.  The  brute's  hot,  foetid  breath  is  on  her 
face,  his  knife  uplifted,  when  to  the  hoarse  bark  of  the 
Ranger's  big  revolver,  the  savage  falls  groveling  at  her 
feet,  the  blood  spouting  from  his  head. 

Hampton  has  shot  from  the  back  of  his  mustang  at 
full  speed,  the  impetus  of  his  horse  takes  him  past  her. 
As  he  passes,  Estrella  finds  herself,  plucked  from  the 
prairie  and  gathered  in  his  arms  in  front  of  him.  Then 
they  go  dashing  on. 

"To  save  you,  I  had  to  let  the  war  pony  of  that  dead 


156  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

Indian  get  away.  A  riderless  horse  will  tell  the  Co- 
manches  that  their  party  has  been  slaughtered.  Venge 
ance  will  give  them  speed.  We've  got  to  light  out. 
Hang  on  to  me  while  I  take  you  into  camp."  These  are 
quick  words  as  they  fly  across  the  prairie. 

So  nestling  to  him,  she  rides  in  his  arms,  blushes 
on  her  cheeks  and  whispered  thanks  on  her  lips  for 
the  life  he  has  given  her.  Through  her  light  fawn- 
skin  tunic  he  can  feel  the  quick  throbbing  of  her  round 
ed  bosom.  It  sets  his  heart  to  beating  also. 

Her  face  confronts  his.  Her  eyes  gleam  into  his, 
then  droop  bashfully,  and  her  head  with  all  its  wealth 
of  soft  brown  hair  that  blows  out  in  the  light  prairie 
wind,  falls  on  his  shoulder.  The  Ranger's  hand,  which 
had  been  very  steady  as  he  pulled  trigger  on  Indian 
braves,  quivers  as  he  holds  to  him  the  dainty  body  of 
this  graceful  creature,  who  enchants  him  and  makes 
him  tremble  with  a  tender  passion. 

A  short,  blissful  ride.  Neither  speaks,  but  the  girl's 
head  hangs  lower  and  lower  on  his  shoulder,  and  his 
clasp  is  more  possessive  about  the  slight  waist  and  ex 
quisite  limbs  that  nestle  closer  and  closer  to  him.  Still 
their  lips  are  silent,  for  between  their  beating  hearts 
are  the  words  of  the  young  dragoon  :  "Keep  my  loved 
one  safe,  Hampton,  for  it  is  my  life." 

So  he  gallops  into  camp,  but  doesn't  pass  Estrella  to 
Harry  as  he  had  done  the  octoroon  girl  the  night  be 
fore;  for  he  slides  off  his  horse's  back,  still  bearing 
a  loved  burden  in  his  arms  as  if  he  could  not  give  it  up. 
Though  even  as  he  dismounts,  he  is  speaking  rapidly : 
"Quick,  Harry,  how  is  your  wounded  arm  ?" 

"All  right.  Zelma  did  a  good  job  binding  it  up. 
Only  a  flesh  wound." 

"Then  get  up  the  horses!  One  of  the  Comanche 
ponies  escaped  me.  We  must  light  out."  And  the 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  157 

Captain  goes  to  packing  the  mule,  for  Love  says :  "I 
kin  bridle  the  plugs,  anyway." 

"Now,  Miss  Godfrey !"  whispers  Hampton.  This 
time  he  doesn't  refuse  the  little  foot  that  is  extended 
to  him,  but  swings  her  into  her  saddle. 

"Quick,  Zelma !" 

But  the  octoroon,  with  the  languor  of  her  race,  half 
sobs :  "I  cannot  go.  I'm  too  tired.  My  limbs  ache 
so." 

Then  Miss  Godfrey  discovers  a  new  feature  in  the 
Texas  Captain.  He  says :  "Girl,  you  have  got  to  ride. 
Now  Love's  wounded,  my  arms  must  be  free.  Up  at 
once!  Your  legs  will  get  easier  with  exercise." 

But  Zelma  hesitating,  with  a  single  gesture  he  swings 
her  into  the  saddle,  commanding :  "Ride !  Ride,  or, 
by  Heaven,  I'll  leave  you  to  be  scalped.  Ride!  You've 
got  to  ride !" 

Then  the  cavalcade  dash  off. 

Turning  in  his  saddle,  he  says  to  Love :  "Harry,  if 
Zelma  falls  off  her  horse,  we  must  tie  her  on,  that's 
all." 

Then  he  gallops  by  Miss  Godfrey's  side,  asking  her 
anxiously  :  "You  feel  strong  enough  ?" 

"Strong  enough  ?  Oh,"  she  whispers  buoyantly,  "I 
could  ride  in  your" — her  face  grows  red  as  the  prairie 
roses — "by  your  side  all  night."  Yet  every  stride  of 
her  mustang  bringing  her  nearer  her  father,  makes  her 
heart  grow  heavier ;  she  is  approaching  the  place  where 
they  must  part  for  the  present,  for  now  she  has  linked 
this  man,  who  has  saved  her  from  savage  enemies,  with 
her  future. 

Perchance  as  they  ride  along,  Hampton  talks  himself 
farther  into  her  good  will.  He  seems  to  have  lost  all 
of  that  quaint  Southern  dignity  that  had  made  him 
formal  during  their  first  intercourse.  Anxious  to  make 
her  forget  the  dangers  of  pursuit  and  the  fatigues  of 


158  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

enforced  horsemanship,  he  tells  her  stories  of  the  bor 
der,  of  Davy  Crockett,  Bowie  and  Milam  of  the  War 
of  Independence,  of  Gillespie,  Sam  Walker,  and  Jack 
Hays  of  Indian  fame,  of  the  great  fight  on  the  head 
waters  of  the  Guadaloupe,  sometimes  called  that  of  the 
Pinto  Trace,  wherein  fourteen  Texan  Rangers  under 
the  command  of  Hays,  had  driven  eighty  Indians  for 
six  miles,  slaying  nearly  half  of  them,  with  a  loss  of 
three  men  killed  and  four  wounded. 

Likewise  he  describes  the  ill-fated  Mier  Expedi 
tion,  where  he  in  company  with  two  hundred  and 
seventy  Texans,  after  killing  seven  hundred  Mex 
icans,  surrendered  from  lack  of  ammunition;  how  re 
captured  after  their  attempt  to  escape,  they  had  been 
decimated  by  order  of  Santa  Anna;  a  gourd  having 
been  placed  before  them  filled  with  beans,  each  one 
representing  a  man's  life,  nine  white  to  one  black, 
which  meant  death ;  how  he  had  drawn,  by  the  mercy 
of  God,  a  white  bean;  how  old  Blackburn,  to  whom 
fate  had  given  one  of  the  black  beans,  had  jeeringly 
called  out :  "Boys,  I  always  draw  a  prize  in  every  lot 
tery,"  and  had  gone  laughingly  to  stand  up  against  the 
adobe  wall  and  die. 

To  this  last  the  girl  listens,  her  eyes  lighted  up  wild 
and  horrified,  as  she  thinks,  trembling  at  her  own  emo 
tion  :  "If  he  had  drawn  a  black  bean." 

'  Noting  her  nervousness,  Sharpe  whispers  reassuring 
ly  :    "But  a  few  miles  more  to  your  father's  hacienda." 

"And  you?" 

"Then — then  I  go  on  to  San  Antonio.  No — no,  I 
cannot  stay."  For  she  has  said  some  pressing  words 
of  hospitality.  "Duty  calls  me.  I  must  ride  through 
the  night,"  he  answers.  "But  should  you  want  me  at 
any  time  in  stress  like  the  present,  if  I  am  not  dead  or 
across  the  border  fighting  for  my  country,  send  for  me, 


A    KNIGHT   OF   THE    PRAIRIE 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  159 

and  if  horseflesh  will  get  me  there "  His  face  tells 

her  the  rest. 

Yet  during  this  ride,  at  times  a  weird  and  uncanny 
horror  seems  to  smite  Hampton's  very  soul.  Estrella 
has  noticed  this  ever  since  he  encountered  the  Coman- 
ches.  "You — you're  not  sad  about  the  Indians  you 
killed.  It  was  to  save  my  life,"  she  whispers ;  then  is 
horrified  at  the  jeering  yet  awful  laugh  which  is  his 
answer. 

"Sorry  at  killing  those  red  devils?"  he  breaks  out. 
"Sorry?"  He  bows  his  head  upon  the  saddle,  and 
tears  run  down  between  his  brown  hands.  "Oh,  you 
don't  know  my  life,  or  you'd  not  ask  me  that,"  he  mut 
ters.  "You  have  perhaps  wondered  why  I  haven't  all 
the  rough  diction  of  the  prairie,  that  I  sometimes  speak 
as  people  living  in  the  cities.  I  was  educated  at  college 
for  two  years,  and  then  went  back  from  my  sophomore 
year  to  our  plantation  in  Shelby  County,  Texas, 
where  I  had  a  loving  father,  a  dear  mother  and  a  sweet 
sister.  When  I  arrived  there  a  bleakened  prairie 
greeted  me  where  there  had  been  gardens  and  a  cot 
tage  with  woodbines  and  Virginia  creepers  climbing 
over  it,  a  desert  where  there  had  been  a  happy  home, 
and  that  was  all — all!  No  living  thing,  but  the  hoof 
tracks  of  the  war  ponies  told  the  massacre  of  my  fam 
ily.  Since  then  I  have  been  alone.  That's  the  reason, 
Miss  Godfrey,  why  my  name  has  been  connected  with 
so  many  bloody  deeds  done  on  this  frontier.  To  pro 
tect  other  men's  homes  from  these  red  devils,  I  entered 
the  Texan  Rangers.  I  never  have  taken  life  but  to  save 
life.  I  am  not  a  duellist  like  a  good  many  of  our  boys 
are — if  I  can  help  it.  Though  no  man,  I  think,  can 
say  Sharpe  Hampton  ever  turned  his  back  on  him. 
Anyway,  that's  my  history.  You  don't  think  my  hand 
has  wanton  blood  upon  it  ?" 

"What !    When  it  has  protected  me  this  day  ?"    And 


Ko  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

the  girl,  leaning  over  her  saddle,  extends  her  own  hand 
to  the  Texan  Ranger.  It  is  gripped  so  that  she  screams 
from  very  agony. 

"Oh,  forgive  me!"  he  pleads. 

"Why,  you  can  grip  it  again,"  says  Estrella,  bravely, 
and  extends  her  delicate  ringers  once  more ;  then  gives 
a  little,  agitated  cry  as  the  tenderest  kiss  is  placed  upon 
it.  Fortunately  the  night  is  dark. 

They  are  riding  through  the  prairies  that  are  open 
ing.  The  waters  of  the  Atascosa  Creek,  heavily  tim 
bered,  are  on  their  left.  A  light  gleams  on  the  prairie. 
"It  is  one  of  the  outlying  cabins  of  your  father's  set 
tlements,"  he  says,  almost  sadly. 

"Have  we  ridden  thirty-five  miles?"  she  asks,  aston 
ished. 

"Not  yet.  Your  father's  acres  are  pretty  numerous. 
But  we've  come  very  quickly — yet  not  too  fast."  His 
face  is  serious ;  he  cries  suddenly :  "Quicken  your 
pace.  Urge  your  horse." 

"Why,  we're  nearly  there." 

"Listen  to  the  Comanche  hoof-beats  behind  us! 
Quick,  Harry,  whip  up  Zelma's  mustang!"  As  her 
steed  springs  under  her,  Estrella  can  hear  the  sharp 
sounds  of  the  quirta  as  it  is  plied  behind  her  on  the 
tired  horse. 

But  now  more  lights  open  before  them.  They  have 
dashed  past  several  log  cabins,  and  Love,  spurring  up 
from  the  rear,  cries :  "Those  skunks  have  quit  at  the 
lights  of  the  settlement." 

"Yes,  but  drive  on !"  cries  Hampton.  "You  never 
know  when  a  Comanche's  beaten." 

So  they  rush  on  again,  and  are  just  in  time.  To 
the  right  are  pattering  hoofs  trying  to  head  them  off. 
But  now,  riding  past  Virginia  rail  fences,  there  is  a 
block-house,  at  which  they  are  challenged,  and  the 
Ranger  cries :  "Comanches  behind  us,  boys !" 


THE  SPY  COMPANY.  ll 

A  scattering  volley,  and  the  ponies'  hoof-sounds  pass 
away  into  the  darkness  of  the  prairie  from  which  they 
came.  Indians  do  not  often  face  palisades  with  rifle- 
fire  behind  them. 

A  moment  later  there  is  quite  a  crowd  about  Estrella 
and  her  party,  rough  men,  some  with  German  accent, 
and  two  or  three  negroes.  But  on  hearing  who  it  is, 
the  garrison  of  the  block-house  set  up  a  yell  and  drive 
Miss  Godfrey  nearly  frantic  with  joy,  for  they  tell  her 
her  father  is  at  the  hacienda,  having  arrived  there  the 
day  before. 

"You  must  stay  and  let  him  thank  you,"  Estrella 
whispers.  "Only  to-night ;  to-morrow  you  can  go  on." 

"No,  Love  goes  on  now.  Though  tough  as  whip 
cord,  you've  seen  his  pluck,  he  is  a  wounded  man  and 
I  must  follow  him  and  see  he  gets  in  to  San  Antonio 
de  Bexar  safe.  When  the  regiment  rides  down — they'll 
be  coming  soon,  en  route  for  the  Rio  Grande,  I'll  try 
to  run  over  and — and  see  you." 

They  still  are  at  the  block-house,  arranging  that 
Zelma  be  sent  on  by  wagon,  Miss  Godfrey's  maid  being 
utterly  exhausted. 

Love,  who  has  been  looking  on  uneasily,  now  says 
in  wild,  nervous  tone:  "No  further,  Cap.  You  know 
I  can't  stand  the  looks  of  this  'ere  place.  Over  thar, 
beyond  that  cross  timber,  my  poor  old  Mammy  lived. 
Let  me  get  on  to  San  Antonio,  as  we  agreed,  and — 
good  luck  to  ye,  Miss  Godfrey,  and — " 

"And,"  says  the  girl,  "whenever  you  need  a  friend 
or  want  a  resting-place,  remember  Estrella  Godfrey. 
Come  back.  This  place  was  the  home  of  your  boyhood. 
It  will  be  your  home  as  long  as  I  have  any  influence 
with  my  father,  and  I  think  I'll  have  a  good  deal,"  she 
adds  in  radiant  confidence;  then  breaks  out,  her  soul 
in  her  eyes :  "My  father !  Hampton,  think,  my  father ! 
Let  us  get  along;  my  father's  waiting  for  me.  My 


1 62  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

father,  whose  face  I  will  not  know,  whose  kisses  I  never 
remember." 

Then  the  two  ride  on  together,  alone.  "Think — 
think,"  says  the  girl,  in  excited  gratitude,  as  their  horses 
pace  side  by  side,  "if  I  had  not  met  you." 

"It  would  have  been  to  me  as  if  the  sun  had  never 
risen,"  mutters  Hampton,  half  to  himself. 

"You  said  if  I  wanted  you,  to  send  for  you,"  remarks 
Estrella,  pensively;  then  suddenly  asks,  half  archly, 
half  indignantly :  "You  wouldn't  come  unless  I  sent 
for  you?" 

The  Texan  Captain  half  turns  to  her  in  his  saddle; 
but  answers  resolutely :  "No,  never  until  I'm  wanted  !" 
for  the  words  of  young  Pelham,  the  dragoon,  are  yet  in 
Hampton's  mind  and  still  his  tongue. 

Then  wounded  pride  keeps  the  young  lady  silent  as, 
coming  through  fruit  lands  and  passing  big  cotton  fields 
and  huge  cattle  corrals,  and  being  challenged  by  two  or 
three  sentinels,  who  are  all  alert,  for  the  place  has  al 
most  the  appearance  of  a  frontier  fortification,  they 
ride  up  to  the  strong  adobe  walls  and  heavy  timber 
doors  of  the  hacienda  of  Live  Oaks,  and  after  some 
parley  are  admitted. 

In  the  big  courtyard,  half  patio,  half  garden,  a  man 
dressed  partly  in  the  costume  of  the  prairies,  partly  in 
that  of  the  city,  comes  hurriedly  to  meet  them.  To 
him,  Hampton  cries :  "Jim  Godfrey,  I've  brought  your 
daughter !" 

And  Estrella  screams :    "Father !" 

At  this  the  man,  muttering :  "Daughter !"  and  hold 
ing  out  his  arms,  the  girl  falls  into  them,  and  greets 
him  with  tender  kisses,  sobbing:  "Thank  God,  at  last 
my  dear  father !"  Then,  for  he  has  only  saluted  her 
forehead,  she  says  archly  yet  lovingly :  "My  lips,  pa 
pa,  my  lips !"  and  holds  up  for  his  caress  two  rosebuds 
made  sweet  by  a  daughter's  happy  affection. 


THE    SPY    COMPANY.  1 63 

From  this  sacred  meeting,  the  Ranger  steps  a  few 
paces  away.  Some  minutes  afterwards,  despite  the 
hospitable  protests  of  the  head  of  this  great  estate  and 
his  thanks  for  bearing  his  child  to  him,  he  says,  short 
ly:  "Military  duty  won't  let  me  stay.  Taylor  has 
marched  for  the  Rio  Grande,  and  Hays's  Regiment 
must  go  after  him !" 

To  this  Godfrey  cries:  "Hurrah,  there'll  be  big 
Government  contracts  and  lots  of  profit !" 

Wondering  how  the  father  can  think  of  pelf  with 
his  exquisite  daughter  just  given  to  his  arms  and  her 
first  kisses  warm  upon  his  lips,  Sharpe  turns  away. 
Undeterred  by  even  the  young  lady's  detaining  grasp 
and  faltered  thanks  and  entreating  eyes,  he  wrings  her 
hand  and  mutters :  "Farewell !"  But  in  the  very  arch 
way  of  the  hacienda  he  looks  back.  The  lights  from 
the  adobe  building  illumine  the  woman  of  his  love,  nes 
tling  in  her  father's  arms  and  prattling  how  she  has 
come  from  the  world  to  make  his  frontier  fireside  less 
lonely. 

It  is  the  vision  of  a  home  he  will  never  have.  With 
a  sigh  the  Ranger  Captain  turns  his  horse  through  the 
heavy  gates  and  spurs  away  into  the  darkening  night  on 
the  lone  trail  over  the  prairie  to  San  Antonio  de  Bexar. 


BOOK  IV. 
Miss   GODFREY'S    FATHER. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
"MY  DEAR  DADDY!" 

That  evening  Miss  Godfrey  goes  in  very  happily  on 
her  father's  arm  to  supper.  This  has  been  hastily 
spread  late  at  night.  To  him  she  says,  her  eyes  light 
ing  up  as  they  sit  down :  "For  the  first  time  at  the 
head  of  your  table ;  my  dear  daddy/' 

It  is  a  profuse  meal,  though  served  in  homely  fron 
tier  style  by  a  bright-faced  mulatto  girl  called  Milly. 
Over  it  she  tells  her  father  of  her  journey  from  New 
York  and  her  adventures  after  leaving  Copus  Christi. 

Perhaps  her  account  of  the  Ranger  Captain's  care 
and  guardianship  of  her  is  slightly  too  fervid.  During 
this  her  father  looks  at  her  once  or  twice  with  so  per 
turbed  a  countenance  that  she  says  hastily  :  "You  don't 
think  I  did  wrong  in  coming  across  the  prairies  alone 
with  a  frontiersman.  You  know  it  was  to  see  you.  I 
had  got  so  far,  I  felt  that  I  couldn't  wait  any  longer 
for  your  kisses."  Then  she  questions,  a  diffident  con 
fusion  on  her  features :  "You  don't  think  I'm  too 
grateful  to  Captain  Hampton  ?" 

"Oh,  that's  all  right.     Your  journey's  over;    that's 

the  end  of  it,"  remarks  Godfrey.    "You're — you're  too 

tired,  my — my  child."     There  is  a  slight  hesitancy  in 

his  expression.    "Best  go  up-stairs.    Zelma,  your  girl, 

(164) 


THE   SPY  COMPANY.  165 

has  arrived  by  wagon.  What  you  want  is  to  sleep 
for  a  day  or  two,"  he  suggests. 

"Oh,  I'll  wake  up  to-morrow,  for  my  first  day  with 
my  father!"  Putting  her  arms  about  him,  the  girl 
kisses  him  tenderly,  and  runs  up-stairs,  where  she  finds 
that  a  plain  chamber  in  this  -backwoods  house  has 
been  made  as  pretty  as  possible  for  her  use.  It  is 
handsomely  furnished  for  the  frontier,  has  flowers  in 
jugs  upon  its  tables.  She  has  also  noticed  in  the  sitting- 
room  a  piano,  that  has  been  purchased  for  her  in  Mew 
Orleans  and  sent  up  by  wagon  from  Matagorda. 

From  her  window  she  looks  out  upon  the  prairie  to 
the  west  and  sighs  to  the  night  wind :  "Hampton !" 
Then  goes  to  bed,  and,  though  worn  oat,  sleeps  a  sleep 
that  is  not  always  dreamless,  for  in  it  are  Indians  and 
war  whoops  and  rifle-shots,  and  she  rides  again  in  the 
Ranger's  arms  on  his  bareback  steed ;  that  blissful  ride 
when  he  had  plucked  her  from  the  death  that  seemed  to 
claim  her. 

The  next  morning  Estrella  awakens  to  find  the 
bright  sun  lighting  up  her  pretty  chamber,  and  to  sniff 
the  perfume  of  flowers  that  Milly  is  placing  about  it. 

The  wench,  with  a  little  salute,  says :  "Missie,  Massa 
said  as  how  he  wouldn't  expect  yo'  to  breakast  dis 
mornin' ;  he  'lowed  yo'  might  be  too  used  up." 

"Not  too  tired  to  meet  my  father !"  cries  Estrella,  and 
springs  out  of  bed.  Smelling  the  beautiful  flowers  with 
which  her  room  is  decorated,  she  murmurs  to  herself : 
"Daddy!  He  thought  of  me  this  morning.  He  has 
plucked  these  himself." 

In  the  adjoining  room  her  maid  is  working  on  the 
little  wardrobe  brought  across  the  prairie.  "Zelma, 
is  my  muslin  frock  ironed?"  she  asks.  "It  must  have 
been  mussed  fearfully  on  the  mule."  Miss  Godfrey, 
always  feminine,  though  she  has  brought  with  her  only 


1 66  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

one  gown,  has  selected  one  that  she  feels  sure  will  make 
her  look  well  in  her  father's  eyes. 

She  glances  at  her  watch  and  cries  :  "Mercy,  nearly 
twelve  o'clock.  Papa  will  be  waiting  for  me !"  To  her 
maid  she  says :  "You  seem  tired,  Zelma.  Just  make 
me  pretty  for  my  father ;  then  take  a  rest,"  and  laughs  : 
"No  more  an  Indian  maiden !  Dad  shall  see  how  his 
daughter  looked  civilized." 

Miss  Godfrey,  her  eyes  full  of  love,  trips  down-stairs 
and  pouts  to  find  that  her  father  has  ridden  out  five 
hours  before  to  look  at  his  cotton  fields. 

A  bright  idea  flits  through  her  mind,  and  calling 
Milly,  she  goes  to  work  at  domestic  matters.  From 
these  she  springs,  her  face  radiant,  as,  about  an  hour 
after,  Godfrey  comes  riding  up  to  the  house  and  throws 
his  reins  to  a  negro  boy.  Running  out  to  him,  she 
cries:  "Come  in  to  lunch,  papa  dear,  and  see  what  a 
housekeeper  your  daughter  is." 

Putting  a  kiss  on  his  lips,  she  leads  him  into  the  din 
ing-room,  which  had  been  quite  homely  in  style  and 
furnishing,  but  has  now  been  made  under  her  hands 
bright  with  flowers,  and  its  table  adorned  with  snowy 
linen.  "What  do  you  think  of  a  civilized  meal?"  she 
says,  proudly. 

"Ah,  you  expect  company  ?"  asks  Godfrey,  a  curious 
nervousness  in  his  tone,  his  eyes  opening  at  unwonted 
luxury,  for  till  this  time  he  had  lived  in  almost  backs- 
woods  manner,  his  bearing  being  that  of  a  man  un 
accustomed  to  the  world,  his  face  one  that  has  bonic 
the  brunt  of  outdoor  life.  His  clothes  and  manner  also 
indicate  he  is  a  plain  frontier  planter. 

This  only  makes  his  daughter  more  tender  to  him. 
She  cries :  "No,  only  you !  Nothing  is  too  good  for 
you.  Look.  Prairie  roses  on  the  table,  and  I've  had 
everything  cooked  that  Milly  said  you  liked." 


THE    SPY    COMPANY.  167 

So  they  sit  down,  she  radiant  and  he  quite  well  con 
tent. 

But  the  meal  being  over,  and  Milly  having  gone 
away,  she  says,  archly  standing  before  him :  "Take  a 
good  look  at  me,  dad.  What  do  you  think  of  me 
civilized,  papa  ?  See ;  silk  stockings  and  slippers !"  She 
displays,  in  daughter's  freedom,  dazzling  ankles  ex 
quisite  in  their  moulding  and  dainty  feet  decked  in 
Parisian  style;  then  suddenly  gasps:  "You — you're 
not  ashamed  of  me?"  For  a  red  flush  has  flown  over 
her  father's  face  and  there  is  a  somewhat  abashed  look 
in  his  deep  eyes  as  he  gazes  on  his  daughter's  loveli 
ness. 

"No,"  he  stammers,  "but  I — I  was  afraid,  with  your 
fine  dresses  and  high-falutin'  things,  you  might  be 
ashamed  of  your  frontier  daddy."  Apparently  almost 
forcing  himself,  he  glances  at  the  beautiful  figure  the 
girl  makes  before  him,  favoring  with  a  little  paternal 
pat  her  superb  shoulders,  that  gleam  white  as  marble 
under  the  sheer  muslin  of  her  corsage,  as  he  continues : 
"I  was  afraid  you  might  put  on  shines  with  me  and  be 
hard  to  control,  and " 

"Oh,  no,  father,"  she  says  simply,  her  eyes  lighting 
up  with  devoted  love.  "Understand  me,  I  intend  to 
give  a  daughter's  full  and  entire  duty  to  you." 

At  this  declaration  Godfrey's  face  becomes  easier; 
he  takes  Estrella's  little,  shell-like  ear  between  his  big 
thumb  and  strong  forefinger,  gives  it  a  slight  pinch  and 
laughs :  "Then  be  very  careful,  miss." 

Flushing,  yet  pleased  at  the  familiarity,  for  until  this 
time  her  father  had  been  somewhat  more  formal  with 
her,  she  whispers:  "That's  the  way  I  want  you  to 
treat  me;  just  as  if  I  had  been  brought  up  here  on  the 
plantation  and  had  always  been  under  your  charge 
and  accustomed  to  obey  you.  That's  it,  dad,  acotis- 


1 68  THE    SPY    COMPANY. 

tomed  to  obey  you — accustomed  always  to  obey  you. 
For  you  will  give  me  your  guidance  and  direction." 

"And  correction,  eh,  my  little  girl  ?"  he  observes,  his 
tone  having  grown  quite  confident  and  dominating. 

Gazing  into  his  eyes,  she  sees  that  her  father  will 
exercise  the  authority  she  has  so  freely  yet  gracefully 
conceded,  and  in  the  exuberant  love  that  she  has  kept 
waiting  for  him  all  these  years,  she  is  happy  in  the 
familiarity  of  his  control  and  dominion. 

"Yes,  when  I  need  it,  I  suppose,"  she  murmurs,  and 
hangs  her  head  bashfully  and  nestles  to  him  a  little. 
"But  I  am  going  to  be  a  very  good  girl,"  she  cries  in 
sweet  enthusiasm.  "Indeed,  I  am,  papa  dear,"  and 
seals  her  promise  with  a  whole-souled  daughter's  kiss. 

"Well,  since  my  little  girl's  going  to  obey  dad  in  all 
things,"  remarks  Godfrey,  his  voice  quite  confident, 
"I've  got  to  go  and  look  at  some  mules  I'm  shipping  to 
Matagorda  for  Uncle  Sammy." 

"Oh,  can't  I  go  with  you  ?" 

"Why,  certainly.  I  had  feared  that  you  were  too 
tired." 

"Not  too  tired  to  ride  with  you,"  she  cries,  eagerly ; 
but  a  moment  after  pouts :  "I  have  no  horse." 

"Why,  there's  that  mare  you  rode  across  the  prai 
ries." 

"What,  Mulefoot?-" 

"Yes,  Captain  Hampton  Jeft  her  as  a  present  for 
you,"  says  her  father. 

"Oh,  he  always  thinks  of  me !"  Miss  Godfrey  flushes 
with  pleasure.  There  is  a  tender  look  in  her  eyes  that 
causes  a  cloud  to  cover  her  father's  face.  But  this  she 
doesn't  notice,  having  already  run  from  him  to  get 
ready  for  the  excursion. 

The  moment  their  horses  are  at  the  door,  she  comes 
down  looking  like  an  Indian  princess,  her  face  flushed 
at  Hampton's  gift,  and  pats  the  glossy  neck  of  the 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  169 

mare.  Turning  to  her  father,  she  laughs :  "I'm  bar 
barous  again.  No  riding  habit,  so  I'm  an  Indian  maid 
en." 

"Oh,  my  superintendent'll  have  your  clothes  and  fix- 
in's  up  from  Matagorda  very  soon,"  remarks  Godfrey 
heartily,  and  puts  his  beautiful  daughter  in  the  saddle. 

Then  the  two  ride  off  together  through  Osage- 
orange  hedges  and  paths  bordered  with  wild  flowers, 
for  a  look  at  the  great  plantation.  As  they  lope  over 
the  cotton  fields,  her  father  explains  to  her  the  great 
extent  and  possibilities  of  the  estate.  They  go  into  the 
cattle  corrals  to  inspect  the  mules  ready  to  be  sent  down 
to  Matagorda  for  Uncle  Sam. 

"You  see,  there's  going  to  be  a  big  war,  Strella,"  he 
says  cheerfully.  "And  this  is  my  first  chance  to  make 
big  money." 

"Oh,  then  you'll  have  to  leave  me  here  and  go  on 
to  Matagorda  soon?"  Her  eyes  grow  misty  at  the 
thought  of  his  parting  from  her. 

"Not  a  bit.  My  superintendent,  who  is  down  there, 
is  a  man  of  the  finest  business  ability,  a  great  friend  of 
mine,  also"  remarks  Godfrey,  adding,  rather  earnestly : 
"When  he  comes  up  here,  I  want  you  to  like  him, 
Strella." 

"Oh,  of  course  I  will ;  any  friend  of  my  father's !" 
cries  the  girl  enthusiastically,  and  they  enjoy  a  very 
pleasant  afternoon,  though  once  a  shock  comes  to  Miss 
Godfrey. 

Standing  in  one  of  the  cotton  fields,  waiting  for  her 
father,  who  is  giving  some  directions  to  an  under  over 
seer,  the  conversation  of  a  near-by  negro  gang  that 
gaze  with  darkey  curiosity  on  their  young  mistress, 
who  has  given  the  toiling  creatures  some  kindly  words, 
comes  to  her  ears. 

"  Tears  like  de  hand  of  Gaud  ha'  bin  put  upon  us 


17°  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

and  an  angel  had  come  down  on  dis  'ere  plantation," 
orates  a  big  Congo  man. 

"Can't  be  no  angel  in  hell,  honey,"  answers  a  woman 
sadly.  Then  the  driver  cracks  his  whip  and  she  places 
her  picaninny  under  a  bush  and  goes  with  the  rest  of 
the  gang  to  wielding  a  hoe  through  the  long  rows  of 
the  unending  cotton  fields. 

Knowing  the  exaggerated  expressions  of  the  negro 
race,  Miss  Godfrey  doesn't  give  any  great  heed  to  this, 
regarding  it  simply  as  "nigger  talk."  But  still  the 
whole  plantation  has  an  animalism  in  its  great  gangs 
of  slaves  working  in  the  cotton  fields  under  their  driv 
ers  that  isn't  entirely  obliterated  by  its  somewhat  ro 
mantic  surroundings,  the  outlying  log  cabins  of  Ger 
man  settlers,  who  cultivate  their  own  little  farms  among 
its  islands  of  sycamores  and  oaks,  being  diversified  by 
several  blockhouses,  each  garrisoned  by  a  few  fron 
tiersmen  and  hunters. 

"As  they  ride  back,  her  father  says:  "Were  it  not 
that  this  place  is  a  big  one  and  able  to  protect  itself,  we 
would  have  been  wiped  off  the  face  of  the  earth  in  these 
last  few  years  by  the  raids  of  Mexican  Rancheros  or 
forays  of  the  Comanche.  As  it  is,  we  have  to  keep  a 
pretty  sharp  eye  for  our  scalps.  But  this  war  will 
finish  up  the  Ranchero  raiders  and  then  this  country 
will  settle  up  and  be  frontier  no  more." 

"It  shall  be  frontier  no  more  to  you,  dear  papa,  from 
now  on,"  remarks  Estrella  gaily,  as  she  springs  off  her 
horse,  full  of  the  idea  of  introducing  some  of  the  ele 
gancies  of  the  world  into  her  father's  big  adobe,  back 
woods  household. 

Consequently,  Godfrey  who  has  departed  on  some 
plantation  business,  chancing  to  return  a  little  later  and 
step  into  his  bedroom,  starts  astounded  and  questions 
nervously:  "What  are  you  doing  here,  daughter?" 

"Mending  dad's  trousers,"  replies  Estrella.     This  is 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  171 

quite  evident;  the  fair  priestess  of  domesticity,  with 
the  sleeves  of  her  dress  rolled  up  to  her  dimpled  el 
bows,  is  seated,  in  daughter's  familiarity,  at  work  with 
needle  and  thread  on  his  frontier  wardrobe,  which  in 
truth  has  much  need  of  attention. 

"By  gum,"  he  mutters,  "that's  real  kind.  Even 
fear  of  a  hiding  won't  make  Milly  keep  the  buttons 
on !"  and  he  looks  grateful  but  shame- faced  as  Estrella 
cries  :  "Papa  dear,  you  are  to  buy  a  new  suit  of  clothes 
the  next  time  you  go  to  Matagorda.  Your  daughter 
wants  you  to  look  scrumptious !" 

At  his  supper  also,  he  finds  some  confections  the 
young  lady  had  learned  to  manufacture  from  Mr. 
Martin's  chef  in  New  York.  These  appeal  to  her 
father's  palate  so  greatly  that  he  says :  "Daughter, 
them  kick-a-shaws  are  better  than  any  I  have  ever 
eaten  in  the  Tremont  House,  Galveston."  For  this  is 
the  nearest  to  the  great  world  Estrella  discovers  God 
frey  has  been  in  the  last  twenty  years. 

Reflecting  that  during  all  this  time,  he  had  been  ac 
customed  to  nothing  but  this  rough  and  tumble  frontier 
plantation,  devoid  of  all  elegancies  of  life,  until  she 
entered  his  doorway,  the  girl  sighs  to  herself:  "And 
dad  endured  all  this  to  give  me  a  fortune !" 

Whereupon  she  introduces  a  little  more  civilization 
into  papa's  life  by  sitting  down  at  her  piano  and  sing 
ing,  as  he  smokes  his  cigar,  some  of  the  tunes  that  have 
lately  pleased  New  York. 

As  she  finishes  Godfrey  says :  "You've  made  a  new 
world  for  me,  my  daughter.  God  bless  you,  I  don't 
want  you  to  ever  go  away  from  here  again." 

"No,  father,  I  won't." 

"That's  right.  You  marry  some  Texas  fellow  who 
won't  take  you  from  me,  and  we'll  settle  down  here." 

"Yes,  father."     Her  cheeks  are  blushing.     "Some 


I72  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

Texas  fellow  who  won't  take  her  away  from  here !" 
She  knows  one ! 

"Ah,  I'm  glad  you  see  the  thing  in  my  light,"  ob 
serves  her  father,  pleasantly,  as  she  seats  herself  by  his 
side  and  takes  his  big  hand  in  her  little  one. 

"Papa,"  says  the  girl  suddenly,  "Captain  Hampton 
must  have  spent  a  good  deal  of  money  for  me.  There 
is  that  horse  that  Zelma  rode,  and  other  expenses." 

"Oh,  as  to  the  money,  I'll  take  care  of  that,"  replies 
Godfrey  rather  testily.  His  voice  has  a  slight  command 
in  it  as  he  continues :  "Don't  you  trouble  Hampton. 
As  to  the  mustang  your  gal  rode,  it  has  already  been 
sent  on  to  San  Antonio.  By  the  bye,"  he  adds,  "I've 
had  your  wench  down  at  my  office  and  registered  her  in 
our  live  stock.  Crackey,  I  never  guessed  you  had  such 
a  valuable  piece  of  property  in  New  York.  That  girl, 
with  her  white  skin  and  fine  lady  airs,  '11  bring  twenty- 
five  hundred  dollars  in  the  New  Orleans  market  if  she'll 
bring  a  cent." 

"Oh,  you'd  never  think  of  selling  her !''  cries  Estrella. 
"Mother  had  Zelma  since  she  was  almost  a  child.  Don't 
you  remember,  you  wrote  once  that  if  she  was  faithful 
to  me,  Zelma  should  have  her  freedom  ?" 

"What!  Manumit  that  likely  piece  of  goods?  That 
ain't  Jim  Godfrey's  way,"  cries  her  father,  angrily. 
Then  he  stammers :  "I — I  wrote  about  her  ?"  and  looks 
astounded. 

"Yes!  But  that  was  before  you  were  wounded  at 
Rock  Springs,"  replies  the  girl ;  "wounded  so  you 
couldn't  write  to  us  for  nearly  a  year."  Though  noting 
the  hand  she  holds  in  hers  bears  the  signs  of  injury,  she 
is  somewhat  astonished  to  see  that  it  is  his  left  one,  not 
his  right. 

"Oh — ah,  yes,"  answers  Godfrey,  hastily;  "but  at 
that  time  I  had  so  much  upon  my  mind,  the  wench 
probably  went  out  of  it.  I  had  to  build  up  this  planta- 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  1 73 

tion  and  resettle  it.  When  I  came  back  here,  there 
wasn't  a  living  thing  on  all  this  place  but  a  dog ;  every 
nigger  run  off,  every  white  slaughtered." 

"Except  Harry  Love,"  cries  Estrella. 

"What?  Who's  he?"  These  are  two  hasty  and 
anxious  questions. 

"Why,  the  Ranger  I  told  you  of,  who,  with  Captain 
Hampton,  escorted  me  across  the  prairie ;  Harry  Love, 
who  was  a  boy  here,  before  the  massacre !" 

"Before  the  massacre !"  shudders  Godfrey,  the  hor 
ror  of  that  awful  time  seeming  to  come  into  his  face. 

"Yes.  His  father  and  mother  lived  over  there  in  the 
cross  timbers  and  were  killed  with  the  rest,  but  he 
escaped." 

Here  Estrella  is  startled.  As  she  has  spoken,  her 
father's  features  have  grown  almost  ashen.  He  has 
staggered  to  the  sideboard  and  taken  a  long  pull  of 
whiskey,  muttering:  "Harry  Love,  the  boy;  Wild 
Harry  escaped !  Yes — I — I  remember  him." 

"And  he  remembers  you,  too.  He  said  you  were 

the  kindest-hearted  man  in  all  of  Texas;  he but  I 

couldn't  get  him  to  stop  here  last  night.  His  father 
and  mother  had  been  killed  just  out  there,  and  he 
couldn't  bear  to  look  upon  the  place.  That's  the  rea 
son  he  has  never  come  near  Live  Oaks  in  these  ten 
years."  Then  she  half  screams :  "Father,  the  recol 
lections  are  too  horrible  for  you !" 

For  he  is  looking  at  her  wild-eyed,  and  is  shudder 
ing  :  "Don't  bring  these  recollections  up  to  me,  child. 
Pity  your  poor  old  father,  and  don't  let  this  Harry 
Love  come  here;  the  meeting  would  be  as  cruel  for 
him  as  for  me.  Every  old  face  brings  up  your  mother 
and  your  stolen  sister,"  and,  sinking  into  a  chair,  he 
puts  his  head  in  his  hands. 

Stepping  to  him,  Estrella  tries  to  pull  his  hands  away 
to  kiss  his  face,  but  cannot.  Apparently  he  doesn't  wish 


174  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

her  to  see  how  the  memories  of  the  harrowing  past  have 
unnerved  him ;  so  she  presses  her  lips  to  his  forehead 
reverently  murmuring:  "Poor  papa,"  and  goes  silent 
ly  away. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE   COMING   OF  THE   SUPERINTENDENT. 

The  next  morning  all  is  bright  again,  and  that 
afternoon,  coming  in  from  his  office,  which  is  down 
on  the  road  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  away,  Godfrey 
finds  Estrella  in  daughter's  freedom  in  his  chamber, 
making  his  room  more  homelike.  Gazing  at  his  bed, 
he  gasps :  "Sheets !" 

"Certainly,  sheets !"  laughs  the  young  lady.  "There 
was  plenty  of  cotton  cloth  in  the  house,  and  Zelma  and 
I  can  sew.  Besides,  I  wanted  sheets  for  myself,"  she 
adds,  archly. 

"Wall,  I  ain't  seen  sheets  since  I  was  at  the  Tremont 
House,  Galveston,"  says  her  father.  "You  make  me 
luxurious  as  a  king,  daughter,"  and  he  pats  her  on  the 
head  and  makes  her  happy  by  calling  her  his  good  little 
girl. 

So  now  come  to  her  days  happy  in  her  father's  com 
panionship,  when  as  princess  of  the  plantation  she  rides 
by  Jim  Godfrey's  side  over  the  great  estate  and  strives 
to  make  his  homely  life  less  crude  by  a  daughter's  love 
and  devotion. 

In  addition,  finding  her  father  speaks  Spanish,  she 
takes  to  learning  that  tongue,  and,  as  quite  a  number 
of  the  people  about  the  plantation  jabber  that  language, 
Estrella  soon  becomes  fluent  in  it  after  the  Mexican 
way,  which  is  rather  different  to  the  true  Castilian. 

During  this  time  the  excitement  of  first  meeting  hav- 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  175 

ing  passed,  the  daughter  begins  to  contemplate  the 
father,  and  finds  him  a  man  of  strange  weakness,  yet 
strange  strength.  In  appearance  he  is  somewhat 
younger  than  she  had  expected,  very  active  and  strong 
in  person,  and  very  hard  in  his  dealings  with  others — 
though  not  to  her.  To  every  one  else  on  the  planta 
tion  he  is  autocratic,  but  to  her  he  is  always  kindly  in 
word  and  bearing,  though  sometimes  strangely  diffi 
dent  and  bashful  for  a  father.  In  fact,  his  weakness 
seems  only  to  be  for  her  and  his  absent  superintendent. 
Upon  this  man,  from  his  remarks,  Godfrey  appears  to 
lean,  especially  in  a  business  way.  When  displeased 
by  the  backwardness  of  work  on  the  plantation  he  so 
often  says :  "If  Jasper  was  here  things  would  be  dif 
ferent;"  that  the  daughter  grows  rather  jealous  of  the 
absent  Mr.  Jasper. 

As  the  days  run  on  everything  and  everybody  seems 
to  be  turned  to  account.  Milly,  the  dining-room  girl, 
is  put  to  "chopping  through  cotton"  in  the  field,  and 
Zelma,  who  has  but  little  to  do  as  her  mistress's  ward 
robe  has  not  yet  arrived  from  Matagorda,  is  placed  in 
the  dining-room. 

Pondering  on  this,  as  Estrella  does  at  times  when 
she  is  not  by  her  father's  side  or  riding  with  him  on 
the  plantation,  which  is  her  great  pleasure,  Miss  God 
frey  cannot  understand  how  a  man  who  has  been  so  lib 
eral  to  her  in  far-away  New  York,  grinds  every  ounce 
of  muscle  in  the  slave  gangs  of  the  cotton  fields  into 
money. 

"Anyway,"  she  thinks,  "this  is  not  altogether  dad's 
doings.  It  is  the  arrangement  of  his  superintendent, 
who  is  down  at  Matagorda,  the  man  upon  whom  he 
seems  to  be  so  dependent  and  to  lean  so  much,"  for  she 
has  heard  :  "Da  young  boss — and  der  hard  drivin'  Mas- 
sa  Jasper!"  in  the  negro  quarters.  These  she  visits 
often,  trying  to  make  the  existence  of  the  toiling  slaves 


I76  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

more  bearable  by  kindly  sympathy,  at  times  demanding 
and  getting  from  her  father  better  food-rations  for 
them,  and  once  begging  for  them  a  half  holiday,  as  it  is 
her  birthday. 

This,  strangely  enough,  her  father  seems  to  have  for 
gotten,  though  when  she  mentions  it  to  Godfrey,  he 
cries  effusively:  "Oh,  yes,  by  Jingo;  the  fifteenth  of 
April !  How  could  that  have  slipped  my  mind !"  and 
gives  the  recreation  to  everyone  on  the  plantation,  and 
quite  humbly  brings  her  this  day  a  handsome  jewelled 
locket  of  Mexican  workmanship,  saying :  "It  was  your 
mother's,  and  was  concealed  in  the  strong  box  with  my 
money,  which  fortunately  escaped  the  fiends  when  the 
plantation  was  destroyed." 

"Ah,  thank  you,  dear  dad !"  cries  the  girl,  and  kisses 
it. 

Then  as  Godfrey  notices  that  her  fingers,  urged  by 
woman's  curiosity  move  over  its  golden  surface  trying 
to  open  it,  he  laughs :  "There  ain't  any  inside  to  the 
thing.  I've  tried  it  a  hundred  times  myself.  The  bau 
ble's  as  solid  as  a  nugget." 

"Ah,  but  there  is  a  spring  in  its  handle,"  exclaims 
the  young  lady,  who  is  more  used  to  jewelry  than  her 
parent.  "See !  The  mechanism  is  very  stiff  from  dis 
use,  but "  she  gives  a  little  excited  cry  and  her  agile 

fingers  force  it  open.  Then  she  eagerly  asks :  "Whose 
miniature  is  this  ?"  She  is  looking  at  the  face  of  some 
one  painted  on  ivory,  who  seems  a  very  dim  memory 
to  her. 

Her  father,  who  has  sprung  to  her  apparently  to  aid 
her,  gives  a  start,  gazes  at  the  locket,  then  chokes  a 
little  and  mutters :  "Your — your  mother's  brother,  I 
reckon.  Didn't  she  ever  speak  of  him?"  A  moment 
after  he  suggests :  "Best  take  it  out  and  some  day  I'll 
have  a  picture  made  for  you  of  your  daddy,"  and  goes 
away  to  superintend  a  festival  for  her  natal  day,  having 


THE    SPY   COMPANY.  177 

flowers  and  fruit  brought  in  and  sending  out  hunters  to 
shoot  wild  turkeys  and  other  game. 

Yet  two  or  three  times  during  the  festivities,  as  her 
father  glances  at  the  locket  she  has  hung  about  her 
white  neck,  Estrella  imagines  he  half  regrets  the  gift, 
though  he  is  more  loving  to  her  than  ever  and  kisses  her 
forehead,  which  he  has  crowned  with  wild  flowers,  and 
calls  her  his  beautiful  daughter. 

In  the  next  few  days  she  inspects  the  picture  in  the 
locket  during  idle  moments  in  her  chamber,  yet  the  por 
trait  continues  only  a  dim  memory  to  her.  She  dis 
covers  in  almost  microscopic  characters  at  its  foot,  the 
name  of  "Amalfi,"  presumably  the  artist  who  painted 
it,  but  this  brings  no  suggestion  with  it,  and  finally  the 
locket  almost  passes  from  her  mind,  the  girl  having 
other  and  more  important  matters  on  her  brain,  the 
chief  of  which  is  her  father  and  Captain  Hampton. 

As  to  the  first,  a  great  joy  wells  up  in  her  heart 
hungry  for  his  affection,  as  at  times  she  ponders  of  her 
father's  hardness  to  others  and  his  liberality  to  her,  for 
she  concludes  his  open  handedness  to  her  in  New  York 
must  have  been  on  account  of  his  great  devotion  to  her. 

This  is  fortunate,  as  soon  after  an  incident  arises  that 
tests  her  love  and  makes  the  strain  upon  her  obedience 
very  heavy.  As  the  days  have  run  on,  Miss  Godfrey 
has  several  times  spoken  to  her  father  with  regard  to 
the  Texan  Captain  who  had  escorted  her  across  the 
prairies,  once  or  twice  suggesting  that  as  San  Antonio 
is  only  forty  miles  away,  a  note  be  sent  to  Hampton 
asking  him  to  visit  their  hacienda,  if  he  can  find  time 
from  military  preparation,  that  she  may  thank  him 
again. 

These  suggestions  Godfrey  has  generally  put  away 
with  the  remark  that  he  is  too  busy  for  company  and 
hasn't  the  time  to  entertain  a  military  lounger. 

At  her  repeated  mention  of  Hampton's  name,  her 


178  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

father  has  looked  at  her  sharply  and  seemed  not 
over  pleased  at  her  enthusiastic  gratitude  to  her  pro 
tector  of  the  prairies;  and  once  he  has  brought  con 
sternation  on  her  by  chuckling :  "Just  hold  your  horses 
a  little,  daughter.  Soon  there'll  be  a  fine  young  fellow 
to  ride  around  the  plantation  with  you  and  do  the  po 
lite." 

She  is  so  abashed  at  this,  she  doesn't  ask  her  father 
to  whom  he  refers ;  though  she  guesses. 

Finally  one  day  a  wagon  arrives  from  Matagorda 
bearing  Estrella's  trunks. 

"You  can  thank  Jasper  for  your  baggage,"  laughs 
Godfrey.  "Lord,  how  he  must  have  shoved  things  to 
get  your  belongings  up  over  these  muddy  roads  in  this 
time.  Besides,  at  my  suggestion,  he  had  a  feminine 
side-saddle  sent  from  New  Orleans.  It's  here  also. 
Now  you  can  ride  woman  fashion  again.  I  reckon  that 
will  please  you." 

"It  does !"  cries  the  girl,  who  has  already  taken  from 
one  of  her  trunks  her  New  York  riding-habit,  her  In 
dian  prairie  costume  having  grown  rather  worn  by  her 
plantation  excursions.  The  arrival  of  her  baggage  has 
made  Miss  Godfrey  vivaciously  happy,  she  so  longs  to 
look  well  in  her  father's  eyes.  She  goes  babbling  on : 
"Dad,  what  will  you  think  of  me  in  this  ?"  and  crying : 
"Tulle  over  white  satin,  that  will  make  you  open 
your  backwood's  eyes.  You  never  saw  your  daughter 
in  decollete  Parisian  ballgovm  in  your  life,  did  you, 
papa  ?" 

Yet  in  the  very  midst  of  her  delight,  Estrella's  face 
grows  agitated  and  miserable.  The  driver  of  the  wa 
gon  chancing  to  state  that  the  news  is  that  Sam  Walk 
er's  and  Sharpe  Hampton's  companies  of  Hays's  Regi 
ment  of  Rangers  are  already  mustered  in  and  are  to 
start  at  once  for  the  Rio  Grande,  where  things  look  like 
blood  betwixt  Taylor  and  the  Greasers,  she  leads  God- 


THE    SPY    COMPANY.  179 

frey  to  one  side  and  breaks  forth  suddenly  and  nervous 
ly,  yet  quite  bashfully :  "Dad,  I  must  write  to  Captain 
Hampton  before  he  goes  to  battle  to  tell  him  that  I've 
not  forgotten  him;"  then  pauses  astounded  at  her 
father's  manner,  for  he  says  to  her  quite  sharply:  "I 
don't  wish  you  to  write  to  Captain  Hampton.  Your 
very  enthusiasm  may  put  some  foolish  ideas  into  his 
head  now  that  he  wears  real  regular  Government  shoul 
der-straps." 

"Foolish  ideas  ?    What  do  you  mean,  papa  ?" 

"Well,  ideas  that  you  may  have  more  than  gratitude 
for  him." 

At  this,  Estrella's  face  gets  as  red  as  some  poppies 
standing  on  the  table;  she  says  indignantly:  "Surely, 
my  father  doesn't  think  I  have  been  unduly  forward 
with  any  gentleman." 

"Certainly  not,"  answers  Godfrey  heartily. 

"Then  let  me  tell  you  Captain  Hampton's  bearing  to 
me  when  I  was  alone  in  his  hand  on  the  prairie  was  the 
impersonation  of  respect,"  she  draws  herself  up  very 
haughtily. 

"Oh,  I  have  no  doubt  of  that,"  answers  her  father. 
The  trouble  is,  this  rough-riding  ranger  is  too  chivalric 
and  too  brave.  It's  these  very  qualities  that  make  him 
dangerous  to  romantic  girls.  Therefore,  I  judge  it  best 
that  you  do  not  write  to  him." 

"But,  father,  he  will  think  me  ungrateful.  I  cannot 
permit  that.  He  is  going  to — to  danger.  I  must 
write." 

"Understand  me,  Strella,"  replies  Godfrey,  his  tone 
more  severe  than  it  has  ever  been  to  her.  "You  have 
offered  me  a  daughter's  full  duty  and  obedience.  That 
I  exact  from  you.  I  don't  wish  you  to  write  to  Captain 
Hampton." 

So  her  father  goes  away,  leaving  the  young  lady  with 
tears  in  her  eyes  and  rebellion  in  her  heart.  In  the 


iSo  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

enthusiasm  of  first  meeting  it  had  been  easy  to  offer 
obedience.  'Tis  difficult  now  to  fulfil  her  promise.  For 
Estrella  Godfrey  had  been  accustomed  to  do  pretty 
much  her  own  will  with  Mr.  Martin  of  New  York,  and 
had  been  but  slightly  chided  at  school,  and  now  it  seems 
hard  to  her  in  her  young  womanhood,  when  her  soul  is 
yearning  to  do  a  thing,  to  be  told :  "Thou  shalt  not." 

She  thinks  deeply,  then  sighs  to  herself :  "I — I  can 
not  let  him  go  perhaps  to  death  and  think  me  an  in- 
grate." 

The  evening  of  the  third  day  thereafter,  she  astounds 
her  father.  Immediately  after  supper,  she  says :  "Papa, 

I "  and  hesitates  and  trembles,  something  she  had 

never  done  before  any  man.  "I — do  not  wish  to  have 
any  secrets  from  you ;  I  think  it  right  to  tell  you  that 
I  wrote  to  Captain  Hampton  three  days  ago." 

"What!  You  mean  to  tell  me  after  your  voluntary 
promises  of  a  daughter's  duty,  that  you  have  deliberate 
ly  disobeyed  me?"  Godfrey  says  slowly  as  if  he  can't 
believe. 

"Yes,  if  that's  the  way  you  put  it,  I — I  did  disobey 
you." 

"How  did  you  send  the  letter?"  His  face  is  flushed 
by  a  terrible  anger. 

"That  I  don't  wish  to  tell  you.  It  might  get  some 
of  your  servants  into  trouble." 

"It  will  get  some  of  my  servants  into  trouble."  And 
Zelma,  chancing  to  have  come  into  the  dining-room  on 
some  of  her  duties,  Godfrey  says  sharply  to  her: 
"Here,  wench,  your  mistress  wrote  a  letter.  Tell  me 
what  she  did  with  it." 

"Master,  I — I  don't  know,"  stammers  the  octoroon. 

"Yer  face  says  that  ye' re  lying  to  me,"  cries  her  mas 
ter,  savagely,  for  Zelma's  pretty  knees  are  shaking  un 
der  her.  "Now  if  you  want  to  save  your  white  skin, 


THE    SPY   COMPANY.  l8l 

my  nigger  lady,  tell  me,  or  I'll  take  you  down  to  my 
office  and  give  you  the  rawhide  till  you  do." 

Here  Miss  Godfrey,  stepping  between  them,  says  in 
dignantly  :  "You  shall  not  punish  Zelma  for  my  fault. 
I  took  the  letter  out  myself  and  gave  it  to  Pablo." 

"What,  that  nigger-Greaser,  who  drives  one  of  my 
ox-teams  to  San  Antonio?"  asks  her  father,  his  face 
growing  more  tranquil. 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Humph,  gave  it  to  Pablo.  Very  well,  I  suppose  it 
cannot  be  helped  now,"  he  says,  as  if  the  affair  was  be 
yond  his  grasp.  Then  he  commands :  "Go  to  your 
room,  'Strella.  Your  disobedience  has  wounded  me — 
No,  I  shall  not  permit  you  to  kiss  me,"  for  she  is  plead 
ing  even  as  she  goes  away :  "Forgive  me,  father.  I 
felt  I  must  write — forgive  me !" 

Perhaps  Miss  Godfrey  would  not  be  so  contrite  did 
she  know  that  ox-teams  travel  exceedingly  slowly, 
therefore  Pablo  won't  arrive  at  San  Antonio  until  the 
morrow,  and  that  a  few  minutes  after  she  has  told  her 
father,  one  of  his  under  superintendents  on  horseback  is 
speeding  along  the  San  Antonio  road,  charged  not  to 
spare  his  horse. 

Late  the  next  morning,  Estrella,  waking  up,  gasps 
suddenly:  "What  load  is  this  upon  my  heart?"  then 
remembering,  sighs :  "For  the  first  time  I  have  dis 
pleased  my  dear  father."  Rising  rather  languidly  from 
the  bed,  after  a  time,  she  thinks  a  ride  will  give  her 
better  spirits,  and  gives  her  orders  to  this  effect. 

Some  few  minutes  after,  as  she  comes  down  in  her 
riding  habit,  Zelma  says  timidly  to  her :  "The  master, 
Miss  Strella,  wants  you  in  the  dining-room." 

"Certainly,"  and  she  goes  in  bravely  yet  almost  peni 
tently  to  endure  her  father's  correction,  little  guessing 
that  he  has  now  in  his  pocket  her  letter  to  Hampton, 
which  he  has  just  opened  and  read. 


1 82  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

An  innocent  little  note,  it  reads  simply : 

"Dear  Captain  Hampton: 

Hearing  that  you  leave  for  the  front,  I  would  like  to  say 
good-bye  to  you,  and  thank  you  once  more  for  your  care 
and  kindness  to  me  in  the  long  ride  over  the  prairies. 

As  your  regiment  or  company  must  pass  not  very  far 
from  us  on  its  way  to  the  South,  if  it  is  possible,  ride  over, 
if  only  for  a  few  minutes,  and  let  me  say  adieu  to  one  for 
whose  safety  in  battle  I  shall  ever  pray. 

Yours  most  gratefully, 

ESTRELLA  GODFREY. 

P.S. — Do  you  recognize  the  little  wild  flower,  one  of 
those  you  gathered  for  me  on  the  prairie?  The  rest  I  shall 
keep." 

This  postscript  and  this  wild  flower  make  Godfrey 
very  stern  with  his  daughter  as  she  comes  in,  and 
looking  lovingly  yet  anxiously  into  his  face  pleads: 
"Father,  am  I  forgiven?" 

"Not  until  I  have  made  you  know  you  must  never 
disobey  me." 

"Oh,  papa!"  Her  face  flushes  as  she  stands  before 
him,  her  graceful  pose  in  her  riding-habit  as  drooping 
as  poor  Psyche's  when  that  unfortunate  nymph  awaited 
Venus's  chastisement,  for  Miss  Godfrey  has  not  been 
accustomed  to  childish  correction. 

Perchance  it  is  the  riding-habit  that  puts  the  idea  in 
her  father's  head.  He  says  sternly:  "For  your  of 
fence,  I  am  going  to  take  away  from  you  the  use  of 
Mulefoot." 

"What,  his  gift?" 

"His  gift"  makes  her  father  very  angry.  He  says 
determinedly :  "Yes,  you  ride  no  more  for  the  present. 
Put  your  foot  over  that  mare's  back,  and  I'll  have  her 
shot." 

"O-o-oh !"  gasps  the  lovely  culprit,  and  she  runs  out 
onto  to  the  porch,  and  fondling  the  graceful  neck  of  the 
black  mare,  cries  to  the  negro  boy:  "Take  her  away, 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  183 

quick!"  as  if  she  feared  her  father  even  now  might 
destroy  the  Ranger's  present. 

Coming  in  from  this,  she  half  sobs:  "That  was  a 
cruel  threat,  father;  that  was  a  cruel  threat!" 

Debarred  of  horseback  exercise,  Miss  Godfrey  dur 
ing  the  next  few  days  turns  to  Hampton's  other  pres 
ent.  She  takes  to  practising  at  a  mark  with  the  two  re 
volvers  the  Ranger  had  given  to  her,  and  in  the  course 
of  time,  remembering  his  directions,  becomes  quite 
deadly  with  these  weapons,  and  jeers  herself  as  she 
makes  bull's-eyes.  "It  wouldn't  take  three  shots  now 
to  kill  a  poor  mustang,"  or,  "I  don't  think  I'd  miss  that 
Comanche  the  first  time  I'd  pulled  trigger  at  him." 
Then  imitating  Wild  Harry,  she  cries  :  "Waugh,  I  am 
becoming  a  frontier  girl,  I  am !" 

During  these  days,  Pablo,  returning  from  his  trip  to 
San  Antonio,  is  eagerly  questioned  by  his  young  mis 
tress  :  To  her  the  mestizo  says :  "Yas,  I  gabe  de 
lettah  to  dat  Ranger  Capt'in." 

"And  then?"    Miss  Godfrey's  tone  is  very  eager. 

"Den  he  took  a  glass  of  noyau  and  says :  'Dat's  all 
right,'  and  stuck  it  in  him  pocket.  He  was  drinkin'  wid 
some  udder  of  dose  Ranger  fellahs.  Santos,  all  dat  dey 
is  talkin'  now  is  'bout  butcherin'  der  Greasers  down  on 
de  Rio  Grande." 

"He  said  nothing — nothing  else  ?" 

"Not  a  word  of  mouth !" 

"You're  sure  it  was  Captain  Hampton  ?" 

"Sartin !  Caspita,  ev'rybody  know  dat  diablo  Sharpe 
Hampton !" 

Then  Miss  Godfrey  goes  silently  away.  Pablo,  half 
Mexican,  half  negro,  but  whole  slave  of  her  father,  has 
done  his  work  very  well,  as  the  poor  wretch  had  good 
reason  for  doing,  having  promise  of  a  silver  dollar  if 
he  lies  straight,  and  fifty  lashes  at  the  whipping-post  if 


184  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

he  blabs  about  the  letter  having  been  taken  from  him 
by  Godfrey's  orders. 

But  a  month  passing  and  no  acknowledgement  nor 
visit  coming  from  Hampton,  and  the  news  being 
brought  by  teamsters  that  Sam  Walker's  and  Sharpe 
Hampton's  companies  have  left  Sa  i  Antonio  and  gone 
down  in  advance  of  Hays's  Regiment  to  join  Taylor's 
army,  the  girl's  face  grows  prouder,  yet  paler. 

The  Ranger's  seeming  neglect  brings  her  nearer  to 
her  father  once  more ;  she  sighs  to  herself :  "I  disobeyed 
and  wounded  my  dear  old  dad  by  perhaps  being  unduly 
forward  with  this  man  who  thinks  more  of  killing 
Greasers  than  of  being  polite  to  me,"  and  forgives  her 
"dear  dad"  for  his  severity  about  Mulefoot,  and  goes 
to  making  his  house  very  pleasant  for  him,  embellishing 
it  with  many  of  the  little  feminine  nick-nacks  which 
have  arrived  with  her  trunks,  and  decking  herself  each 
evening  in  pretty  gowns  to  make  her  father  proud  of 
her. 

So  time  runs  along  until  one  morning  towards  the 
end  of  May,  Estrella  hears  a  commotion  and  cheering 
outside  the  gates  of  the  big  patio.  Coming  out  she 
finds  quite  a  little  concourse  of  the  hunters  and  trappers 
and  German  immigrants  of  the  estate,  who  are  standing 
about  some  wagons  which  have  arrived  from  Mata- 
gorda.  Their  cry  is  that  the  war  has  begun,  and  that 
Taylor  has  defeated  the  Mexicans  in  two  pitched  bat 
tles.  Chancing  to  hear  the  name  of  Sharpe  Hampton 
mentioned,  Miss  Godfrey  gets  hold  of  a  newspaper  that 
has  been  brought  up  by  one  of  the  teamsters,  and  tak 
ing  it  to  her  room,  sits  down  and  reads  in  the  Galveston 
Herald  an  account  of  that  glorious  deed  of  arms  which 
probably  prevented  the  discomfiture  of  Taylor's  Army. 

It  states  that  the  Texan  Rangers  under  Sam  Walker 
and  Sharpe  Hampton  arrived  by  forced  marches  at 
Point  Isabella,  which  Taylor  had  made  his  depot  for 
provisions  and  supplies,  though  he  had  located  his  army 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  185 

twenty-five  miles  away  on  the  Rio  Grande,  having  built 
the  fortification  known  as  Fort  Brown  opposite  the 
Mexican  town  of  Matamoras.  That  when  the  Rangers 
had  left  Point  Isabella  to  join  the  American  forces, 
they  had  immediately  found  themselves  confronted  by 
the  whole  Mexican  army,  under  Arista,  which  had  got 
between  Taylor  and  his  base  of  supplies,  and  was  now 
about  to  crush  the  slender  garrison  of  Point  Isabella. 
Knowing  that  intelligence  of  this  was  vital  to  the 
American  commander,  six  men  had  volunteered  to  make 
their  way  by  night  through  the  whole  Mexican  army, 
and  that  but  two  had  got  through  alive,  Sam  Walker 
and  Sharpe  Hampton. 

This  information,  so  desperately  borne,  had  been  the 
salvation  of  General  Taylor,  who,  leaving  a  heavy  gar 
rison  in  Fort  Brown,  had  immediately  returned  to  Point 
Isabella  and  reinforced  his  base  of  supplies.  Then  he 
had  turned  upon  his  foe  again  and  fought  his  way  once 
more  to  the  Rio  Grande,  winning  the  two  pitched  bat 
tles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma.  Even  the 
account  of  the  gallant  Ringgold,  killed  mid  his  batteries 
during  the  first  engagement,  or  the  charge  of  May's 
Dragoons  at  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  where  they  had  sa 
bered  the  Mexican  gunners,  and  in  which  she  sees 
young  Pelham's  name  honorably  mentioned,  is  naught 
in  her  mind  as  her  eyes  grow  misty  over  the  last  para 
graph  of  the  article,  which  states  that  both  these  glori 
ous  victories  had  been  made  possible  by  the  unexampled 
feat  of  Captains  Samuel  H.  Walker  and  Sharpe  Selby 
Hampton. 

Over  this  she  gets  to  crying  and  wringing  her  hands 
and  muttering :  "He  only  thinks  of  battle." 

Then  awed  and  ashamed  at  the  intensity  of  her  own 
emotion,  Estrella  dries  her  eyes  and  comes  down  to  her 
father. 

This  gentleman  is  sitting  on  the  porch  an<J  greets  her 


l86  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

in  happy  voice:  "By  golly,  the  war's  commenced 
that'll  give  us  a  fortune !" 

Here  consternation  seems  to  come  upon  her  father 
in  his  elation,  for  a  wild  idea  entering  Estrella's  mind 
places  a  wistful  hope  in  her  excited  eyes.  She  says 
hurriedly :  "Dad — answer  me  one  question,  square  as 
you  hope  to  see  your  God.  Have  you  ever  intercepted 
any  letters?" 

"What  do  you  mean,  girl?"  cries  Godfrey,  starting 
up,  his  face  for  a  moment  on  fire,  then  growing  pallid. 

"Oh,  I  mean,  you  have  never  intercepted  any  letters 
from — from  Captain  Hampton  to  me  ?" 

"Certainly  not,"  says  her  father  promptly,  his  fea 
tures  becoming  more  composed.  Then  he  breaks  forth : 
"You — you  haven't  had  any  correspondence  with  this 
man  ?  Answer  me  square  as  you  hope  to  see  your  God, 

girl!" 

"No,  father;  nothing  but  the  one  letter  that  I  told 
you  of,  and — and — which  you  were  perfectly  right  in 
forbidding  me  to  send,  but  I  am  punished  for  it.  Oh, 
Heaven,  what  a  humiliation!"  she  shudders  half  hys 
terically.  "Why  I — I  kind  of  threw  myself  at  his  head. 
At  least,  I — I — gave  him  a  hint,  I "  And  her  beau 
tiful  face  is  so  piteous  that  Godfrey,  knowing  what  he 
does,  should  have  compunctions  of  conscience. 

But  his  daughter's  confession  only  seems  to  make 
him  alarmed  and  angry.  Still,  judging  that  wounded 
pride  will  now  make  the  penitent  pliable  to  his  wishes, 
he  controls  himself,  and,  putting  hi§  arm  possessively 
about  her,  says :  "I  don't  wish  to  mention  this  Hamp 
ton  matter  again.  Understand  me,  you  are  to  have  no 
further  communication  with  this  man." 

"Yes,  my  self  respect  should  keep  me  from  that," 
breaks  out  the  girl,  her  lips  trembling,  her  eyes  full  of 
tears. 

"And  if  you  have  not  pride  in  this  yourself,"  mutters 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  187 

Godfrey  sternly,  "by  the  Lord  Harry,  I  have  pride 
enough  as  our  father  to  keep  you  from  it.  Disobey  me 
in  this,  and  I  shall  punish  you  severely." 

"Yes,  dad!"  she  cries  almost  deliriously,  "Only  for 
give  me  for  having  disobeyed  you,"  and  she  half  hys 
terically  throws  herself  sobbing  into  her  father's  arms. 

At  her  submission  a  look  of  tremendous  relief  rip 
ples  Godfrey's  stern  features.  Apparently  filled  with 
gratitude  at  her  devotion,  seating  himself,  he  draws  the 
beautiful  penitent  upon  his  knee  and  thanks  her  for  her 
compliance  with  his  wishes. 

And  she,  filled  with  joy  that  the  difference  between 
her  and  her  father  is  now  absolutely  healed,  and  feeling 
that  he  entirely  loves  her,  this  being  the  first  time  he 
has  ever  treated  her  with  so  much  paternal  familiarity, 
clinging  to  him,  sobs  her  heart  out  upon  his  breast. 

So  a  couple  of  days  later,  Godfrey,  thinking  his 
daughter  is  well  in  hand,  makes  Estrella's  pallid  feat 
ures  grow  very  red  by  saying :  "You  needn't  mope  for 
gentlemen's  company  from  now  on,  daughter.  There's 
more  news  come  by  wagon  from  Matagorda.  My  su 
perintendent,  the  boy  who  is  like  a  son  to  me,  will  be  up 
this  evening  to  talk  to  me  about  our  big  contracts  for 
cattle  to  be  delivered  to  Taylor's  Army.  He's  a  mighty 
smart  fellow  and  tends  to  business  and  is  more  to  my 
liking  than  these  high-falutin',  harum-scarum  Ranger 
chaps,  who  haven't  more  than  a  dirty  shirt  and  a  six- 
shooter  to  their  names.*  Have  a  nice  supper  and  your 
wench  rigged  out  for  company  in  the  dining-room.  Get 
his  room  fixed  up  smart  and  put  sheets  on  his  bed. 
Spruce  up  a  little  yourself  and  do  your  politest,  daugh 
ter." 

*  A  Texan  Ranger's  costume  was  described  as  a  dirty 
shirt  and  a  six-shooter;  but  it  was  by  the  same  wag  who 
stated  the  costume  of  a  Georgia  Colonel  was  a  shirt  collar 
and  a  pair  of  spurs. — Editor. 


1 88  THE    SPY    COMPANY. 

To  this  Miss  Godfrey  responds  tenderly :  "Papa, 
don't  I  always  feed  you  well?  I'll  have  your  superin 
tendent's  room  in  order  and  see  that  everything  is  as 
you  wish." 

So  this  evening,  arrayed  in  pretty  white  muslin,  the 
girl  comes  tripping  down,  prepared  to  make  herself 
pleasant  to  her  father's  protege,  to  be  struck  with  con 
sternation,  dismay  and  affright. 

As  she  enters  the  supper-room,  a  gentleman,  whose 
clothes  indicate  hasty  frontier  travel,  but  who  wears 
conspicuously  a  little  golden  circle,  rises  to  greet  her. 

"Strella,"  says  her  father,  rather  nervously,  "let  me 
present  to  you,  Jasper  Moncton,  the  superintendent  of 
my  plantations,  whom  I  have  spoken  to  you  about  so 
often,  my  trusted  right-hand  man  and  friend." 

At  these  words  bashful  trepidation  overwhelms  her. 
This  meeting  has  been  so  unexpected,  so  unannounced. 
True,  the  girl  has  heard  the  darkeys  talk  of  "Massa 
Munktoon,"  and  her  father  has  spoken  of  "Jasper," 
but  has  never  connected  the  two  names. 

With  a  slightly  amused  smile  Moncton  observes : 
"Yes,  we  met  in  Saratoga  some  two  years  ago,  didn't 
we,  Miss  Godfrey?"  Then  his  dark  eyes  gleam  pos 
sessively  as  they  inspect  the  loveliness  of  the  maid,  her 
light  muslin  dress  displaying  the  graces  of  her  figure, 
and  her  beauty  perhaps  added  to  by  eyes  that  are  spark 
ling  with  a  kind  of  modest  terror,  for  now  she  remem 
bers  what  this  man  had  said  to  her  when  she  had  re 
jected  him  two  years  ago. 

Seeming  to  read  her  thoughts,  Jasper  laughs  slightly  : 
"From  your  face,  I'm  sure  you  recollect.  You  were 
in  costume  at  the  fancy  ball  at  Saratoga,"  adding  sig 
nificantly  :  "I  told  you  that  we'd  meet  again." 

Godfrey  making  no  comment  on  the  man's  words, 
Estrella  is  even  more  impressed,  being  certain  that  her 
father  must  have  known  all  this  time  of  their  previous 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  189 

meeting.  With  this  ominous  thought  in  her  head,  the 
young  lady  has  no  appetite  for  supper,  though  both 
gentlemen  chat  to  her  quite  merrily,  and  Moncton's 
glances  show  open  admiration  of  her  beauties,  which 
had  been  enticing  as  a  schoolgirl,  but  now  in  her  ex 
quisite  young  womanhood  are  enchanting  and  over 
powering. 

The  meal  being  finished,  at  Godfrey's  request,  she 
sings,  though  in  half-hearted  voice,  the  songs  he  likes, 
and  even,  at  Moncton's  suggestion,  makes  very  bad 
work  of  some  Italian  bravura  music.  But  after  this 
is  over,  leaving  the  gentlemen  smoking  their  cigars  and 
drinking  their  hot  whiskey  punches  together,  she  comes 
up  to  her  bedroom.  Here  her  face  is  so  perturbed  and 
startled  that  Zelma,  who  is  waiting  for  her,  gasps : 
"What  is  the  matter,  Miss  Strella  ?  Is  it  because  he's 
the  chap  who  made  love  to  you  at  Saratoga  that  you 
look  so  scared  ?" 

To  her  maid  the  mistress  answers  nothing,  but  step 
ping  out  on  to  the  veranda  of  her  room,  presses  her 
hand  to  her  beating  heart  and  falters :  "Why  should 
I  not  fear  this  insidious  man,  whose  hand  I  spurned 
in  Saratoga,  who  told  me  that  sooner  or  later  I  should 
be  his ;  that  the  object  of  his  life  would  be  to  gain  me. 
What  does  this  mean  ?  When  here,  alone,  far  from  the 
world,  I  find  him  my  father's  confidant  and  my  father's 
— master!"  she  starts,  shuddering  at  her  own  sinister 
idea,  but  still  repeats  it  mentally :  "That's  what  was 
in  his  eyes.  MASTER  !  I  saw  it  twice  when  he  glanced 
towards  my  father  at  the  table;  then  turned  his  gaze 
on  me  as  if  I  had  been  brought  here  for  his  wooing. 
God  help  me,  that's  what  has  happened  to  me!  I 
have  been  brought  here  by  my  father  for  this  man 
to  conquer  and  make  his." 

Even  now  it  scarce  seems  real  to  her,  but  Moncton's 
voice  is  heard  down  stairs  calling  dominantly  in 


19°  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

slightly  intoxicated  tones:  "Zelma,  you  wench,  skip 
quick  with  a  new  whiskey  bottle,  Madame  China  doll !" 
Turning  her  fair  eyes  over  the  prairie  looking  to 
wards  the  Rio  Grande,  Estrella  whispers  to  the  night 
wind :  "Hampton — I  fear  I  need  you — Hampton  !  You 
saved  me  from  Indians ;  save  me  from  worse !"  then 
sighs  despairingly:  "Oh,  my  God,  even  he's  deserted 
me !"  And  misery  and  terror  battle  with  her  love. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 
SHARPE  HAMPTON'S  SWEETHEART. 

After  an  almost  sleepless  night,  Miss  Godfrey  be 
comes  satisfied  that  what  she  had  divined  the  evening 
before  is  the  grim  truth.  Coming  down  stairs  next 
morning,  with  a  sinking  of  the  heart  at  wounded  mod 
esty  and  humbled  pride,  Estrella  finds  that  she  has 
been  brought  from  far  away  New  York  to  this  distant 
Texas  plantation  to  be  convenient  for  the  wooing  of 
Jasper  Moncton. 

True,  she  is  not  told  this  in  so  many  words.  But  at 
first  opportunity  her  father  says  to  her,  when  they  are 
alone  together,  Moncton  being  busied  with  some  plan 
tation  affairs,  fo'r  he  immediately  devotes  himself  to 
running  the  business  of  the  big  estate :  "Strella,  there's 
a  wonderful  feikiw.  No  sooner  has  he  fixed  up  a  big 
mule  and  cattle  trade  with  the  United  States  quarter 
master  and  commissariat  officers,  who  are  picking  up 
things  for  use  in  the  coming  war,  than  he's  up  here 
getting  the  stuff  to  fill  the  contracts.  He's  just  the 
kind  of  a  man  for  this  country.  In  fact,  he's  the  spruce 
young  fellow  that  I  would  like  to  settle  down  with 
you." 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  191 

''Father,  please  tell  me  exactly  what  you  mean?" 
Though  she  asks  the  question,  the  girl  guesses  too  well 
at  what  he  hints. 

"Oh,  what  I  said  to  you  when  you  first  came  and 
made  this  place  a  kind  of  paradise  to  your  old  father," 
he  answers ;  "Jasper's  the  kind  of  man  that  you  should 
marry,  one  who  won't  take  you  away  from  me." 

She  doesn't  reply  to  this,  but  goes  out  into  the  patio 
and  is  very  haughty  to  Moncton,  when  that  dark-eyed, 
dashing  fellow,  whose  manners  have  the  polish  of  the 
Mississippi  River  boat,  but  hardly  the  delicacy  of  a 
drawing-room,  comes  riding  up  and  says :  "Good 
morning,  Miss  Strella.  The  cotton  fields  are  looking 
mighty  well  and  the  plants  doing  finely.  Like  to  have 
a  jaunt  and  look  over  them  with  me  ?" 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Moncton,"  she  answers  coolly. 
"Papa  has  forbidden  me  the  use  of  my  horse.  It  was 
a  punishment  for  disobeying  him." 

"Ah,  she's  a  little  skittish,  is  she,  Godfrey?"  laughs 
Jasper  in  a  way  that  makes  her  writhe.  Then  he 
makes  her  writhe  a  little  more ;  he  suggests :  "I'll 
make  your  peace  with  your  father,"  and  tears  come 
into  the  girl's  eyes  at  humiliated  pride  as  he  says : 
"Jim,  you  mustn't  be  too  hard  on  your  pretty  daugh 
ter.  At  my  request,  let  up  on  her  a  little  and  permit 
her  to  have  her  mare  to  ride  over  the  plantation  with 
me." 

"Why,  of  course,  if  you  ask  it,"  answers  Godfrey, 
and  turning  to  his  daughter,  he  says :  "You  ought  to 
thank  Moncton  for  begging  you  off.  Now  run  up 
stairs  and  get  into  your  riding  habit." 

"Excuse  me.  Deprived  of  the  exercise,  I  have 
rather  lost  my  taste  for  it,"  she  remarks  indifferently. 

"Shucks,  you  need  it.  It'll  make  you  brisker,"  re 
turns  her  father.  Then  his  eyes  grow  entreating: 
"You'll  do  it  for  your  old  daddy?" 


I92  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

"Yes,  if  you'll  go  with  us,  papa !"  she  answers  affec 
tionately. 

"Reckon,  I  must,"  laughs  Godfrey.  Some  minutes 
after  the  young  lady  sweeps  down  haughty  as  a  god 
dess,  and  stands  waiting  for  her  horse,  the  glove-like 
bodice  of  the  riding-habit  of  that  day  tracing  each 
rounded  outline  of  bust  and  shoulders,  and  the  folds 
of  its  cloth  skirt  indicating  limbs  graceful  as  a  nymph's. 

His  eyes  on  fire,  Moncton  steps  to  assist  the  beauti 
ful  creature  into  the  saddle.  But  motioning  the  darkey 
boy  to  lead  Mulefoot  beside  the  veranda,  Estrella 
springs  on  the  mare's  back  and  makes  Jasper  and  God 
frey  scowl  at  her  by  laughing:  "Dad,  Captain  Hamp 
ton  showed  me  that  trick !" 

Then  she  rides  off  with  the  two  men,  taking  care  all 
through  the  excursion  to  keep  quite  close  to  her  father's 
side.  But  she  feels  in  better  spirits  for  the  exercise, 
and  quite  politely  thanks  Mr.  Moncton  for  the  side 
saddle. 

So  the  days  go  on,  the  girl  acting  as  her  father's 
housekeeper  and  seeing  his  home  is  made  pleasant,  but 
feeling  that  pressure  is  being  gradually  brought  on 
her  in  the  matter  of  Moncton's  suit.  Though  perhaps 
it  is  foolishly  brought,  for  it  makes  her  indignant  and 
rebellious.  Before,  when  she  had  disobeyed  her  father, 
she  has  felt  sad  about  it.  Now  she  doesn't  care.  She 
would  write  other  letters  to  the  Ranger,  but  he  is  far 
from  her,  and  her  pride  has  been  too  severely  wounded 
at  receiving  no  answer  nor  visit  from  this  man. 

In  addition  she  is  now  quite  certain  that  there  is 
some  secret  compact  between  Godfrey  and  Moncton, 
by  which  the  superintendent  holds  her  father  at  his 
mercy.  On  the  long,  hot  nights  the  two  have  got  to 
drinking  together,  and  whiskey  having  made  their 
tongues  careless,  once  she  has  heard  the  employe 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  193 

threaten :    "Make  your  gal  quit  being  offish  with  me. 
You  know  you've  got  to  do  it,  Jim." 

And  now,  being  driven  desperate,  for  she  is  not 
always  able  to  decline  Jasper's  attentions,  which  are 
proffered  at  every  convenient  opportunity,  and  which 
under  her  father's  eye  she  sometimes  cannot  entirely 
refuse,  one  day  she  speaks  to  Godfrey  confidentially, 
saying:  "Dear  dad,  if  Moncton  has  any  hold  upon 
you " 

"Any  hold  upon  me!"  half  screams  her  father. 
"What  do  you  mean,  girl?  Answer,  what  do  you 
mean  ?" 

"Only  this,"  she  says,  bravely,  though  the  appear 
ance  of  Godfrey  is  such  that  it  frightens  her:  "Tell 
me  about  it,  and  we  will  together  face  this  man.  Send 
him  away.  We  were  happy  before  he  came.  For  your 
continued  pressure  upon  me  to  accept  his  hand  is  mak 
ing  me  undutiful  even  to  you,  dear  dad." 

Recovering  his  composure  at  his  daughter's  speech, 
Jim  Godfrey  answers  so  sorrowfully  that  he  gains  his 
child's  sympathy.  "He  does  have  a  hold  upon  me! 
I  should  think  you  could  see  that  and  not  be  so  saucy 
with  the  handsome  young  fellow,  who  is  sweet  on  you 
as  a  bee  is  on  honey.  You  know  he's  cottoned  to  you 
ever  since  he  saw  you  at  Saratoga.  He  told  me  that 
when  he  came  back  from  the  North." 

"So  it  is  true,  what  I  guessed,  that  I  have  been 
brought  here  to  this  plantation  to  be  wooed  by  this 
man  whether  I  willed  or  not,"  mutters  Estrella  bitter 
ly;  then  asks  reproachfully :  "How  could  you?" 

"Because  I  could  not  help  it!"  says  her  father,  sig 
nificantly. 

"Impossible!"  cries  the  girl.  "How  dare  Moncton 
dictate  to  you  or  me." 

"In  this  way,"  answers  Godfrey,  impressively.  "Af 
ter  the  plantation  was  destroyed,  I  was  powerful  short 


194  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

of  ready  money.  Even  with  the  gold  I  had  recovered 
it  has  been  a  great  work  to  build  up  this  place.  I  had 
to  pay  the  expenses  of  German  immigrants  so  as  to 
have  settlers  enough  to  make  my  title  to  my  land  grant 
good.  In  addition,  these  big  gangs  of  niggers  cost  a 
pile  of  money.  I  had  to  borrow  it,  and  Moncton  came 
forward  with  the  ready  cash.  Until  lately,  when  this 
war  has  given  me  a  little  chance  to  crawl  out  of  my  hole, 
I  haven't  been  able  to  get  hold  of  any  great  amount  of 
money.  So  things  have  gone  on,  until  with  interest 
and  notes  and  mortgages  to  Moncton,  he  could  close  up 
the  whole  thing  and  put  me  and  you  out  on  the  prairie 
with  no  more  money  than  when  the  Rangers  picked  me 
up  crazy  after  the  fight  at  Rock  Springs.  But  Jasper's 
a  noble  fellow  and  '11  see  me  through  all  right." 

So  far,  Godfrey  has  made  his  plea  quite  skilfully, 
for  his  daughter  has  uttered  a  sigh  of  sympathy  when 
he  has  spoken  of  being  as  penniless  as  when  he  re 
turned  to  find  his  people  massacred  and  his  plantation 
destroyed.  But  now  her  parent  makes  a  mistake :  "It 
wouldn't  suit  you,  I  can  see,"  he  goes  on,  "with  your 
fine  lady  airs  and  handsome  dresses,  to  be  put  out  bare 
footed  into  the  world.  If  you  get  high  spirited  with 
Moncton,  I'm  afraid  he'll  cut  up  rough  about  it,  for 
he  thinks  you  the  finest  girl  in  the  world.  Remem 
ber,  every  time  you  turn  up  your  nose  at  him  or  say 
p.  saucy  word  to  him,  you're  putting  danger  on  your 
poor  old  dad  as  well  as  yourself."  Noting  that  direct 
methods  make  his  child  rebellious,  Godfrey  is  playing 
the  aged  parent  act. 

Her  answer  proves  he  is  doing  his  role  quite  well. 
"I  don't  think  of  myself,  father,"  says  the  girl,  gen 
erously,  "though  I  will  think  of  you.  Give  me  time  to 
consider  this  subject,  and  if  the  task  is  not  too  hard, 
perhaps " 

"You'll  do  the  right  thing  by  Jasper,"  cries  the  old 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  195 

man,  enthusiastically.    "You'll  marry  him ;  you'll  give 
me  grandchildren  to  play  about  my  knee — " 

But  the  future  grandfather  has  painted  domestic  life 
too  vividly.  His  daughter  emits  a  short,  horrified 
scream  and  runs  away,  though  her  face  is  not  blush 
ing  ;  it  is  pale  with  repulsion. 

To  her  father,  some  little  time  afterwards,  she  says : 
"It  is  impossible !  Ask  me  to  work  for  you ;  ask  me 
to  slave  for  you ;  but  marry  that  man,  I  cannot." 

But  it  is  very  hard  for  a  girl  practically  alone  with 
these  two  men  on  this  secluded  plantation,  to  always 
resist  a  father  whom  she  loves  and  always  to  repel  the 
attention  of  a  dashing,  persevering  fellow,  who  will 
assist  her  into  the  saddle  and  ride  at  her  side,  for  under 
paternal  eyes  Estrella  cannot  always  decline  Moncton's 
escort. 

About  this  time  horror  comes  to  her;  the  maiden, 
shrinking  from  Jasper's  wooing,  begins  to  fear  that 
punishments  are  ordered  to  the  negroes  so  that  she  will 
beg  them  off  from  her  suitor.  For  now  she  finds  that 
to  get  mercy  for  the  slaves,  as  has  been  her  wont,  she 
has  to  plead  with  Moncton,  not  her  father.  But  her 
humanity  is  greater  than  her  pride,  and  she  humbles 
herself  to  do  this,  though  on  one  of  these  occasions 
Jasper  says  to  her :  "Am  I  always  to — to  do  your  bid 
ding  for  nothing?  Don't  you,  my  dear  girl,  remember 
Saratoga?  Why  do  you  always  greet  with  cold  looks 
the  fellow  who  you  know  is  bound  to  have  you  ?" 

His  audacious  arm  would  go  round  her  enticing 
waist,  but  she  mutters  faintly:  "Have  pity  on  my 
father,"  yet  shudders  from  him,  hanging  her  fair  head 
abashed  beneath  his  too  ardent  gaze. 

And  perhaps  this  young  lady,  who  has  grown  droop 
ing  and  pathetic  during  these  two  summer  months  of 
constant  pressure  and  persuasion,  might  succumb  to 
her  father's  entreaties,  which  become  each  day  more 
urgent,  did  not  about  this  time  arise  in  her  mind  first 


I96  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

a  mighty  joy,  then  a  tremendous,  awe-inspiring  sus 
picion. 

Knowing  that  Hampton  has  left  San  Antonio  with 
his  company  full  two  months  before  this,  Godfrey  one 
day  proposes  that  Estrella  take  a  trip  to  that  town  with 
Moncton  and  himself,  as  he  has  to  see  Hays,  the  Col 
onel  of  the  Texan  Rangers,  whose  young  face  is  grow 
ing  old  with  his  efforts  to  get  his  full  regiment  equipped 
and  down  to  Taylor  at  Matamoras.  But  the  State  of 
Texas  is  very  slow  and  very  poor,  and  the  Texan 
Colonel,  having  some  difficulty  in  mounting  his  com 
mand,  is  now  trying  to  induce  Godfrey  to  take  his 
guarantee  and  that  of  the  State  and  furnish  him  the 
horses. 

So  the  girl,  anxious  to  get  away  from  a  monotony 
that  has  overburdened  her  spirits,  makes  with  her 
father  and  her  suitor  a  very  long  afternoon  ride,  and 
arrives  in  San  Antonio  de  Bexar,  coming  up  the  banks 
of  its  beautiful  tree-shaded  river  into  the  old  town  that 
a  few  years  before  had  been  entirely  Mexican,  but  now 
has  a  few  Gringos  in  its  inhabitants  and  a  lot  of  Texan 
Rangers  about  its  unpaved  streets. 

The  evening  is  well  advanced  when  she  arrives,  and 
Estrella,  arising  rather  late  the  next  morning,  finds 
that  her  father  and  Moncton  have  left  the  old  Mexican 
inn  and  have  gone  off  to  their  business  with  the  Ran 
ger  officers.  After  a  cup  of  chocolate  and  a  bunelo, 
Spanish  fashion,  she  wanders  about  the  dreamy  old 
pueblo,  gazing  at  the  Alamo  as  a  sacred  place, 
and  thinking  of  the  martyrdom,  ten  years  before,  of 
Travis,  Bonham,  Bowie  and  Crockett,  and  those  other 
Texan  immortals  who  died  that  their  State  might  live. 

Finally,  strolling  from  the  ruins  of  the  old  church 
fortress,  whose  battered  walls  are  the  altar  of  Texan 
liberty,  she  returns  to  the  old  tavern  in  which  the  party 
have  made  their  headquarters.  Here  her  father  and 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  197 

Moncton  come  in,  the  latter  saying  gloomily :  "No 
trade.  Hays  has  nothing  better  than  Texas  scrip  to 
offer  us." 

"Yes,  as  soon  as  we  have  dinner,  we'll  get  into  the 
saddle  again  for  Live  Oaks,"  remarks  Godfrey,  who 
has  just  kissed  his  daughter's  lips,  proffered  for  morn 
ing's  greeting. 

They  are  about  to  sit  down  to  a  mid-day  meal  when 
a  faint  cheering  comes  very  distantly  up  the  street. 
"Jingo,  wonder  if  there's  news  of  another  victory 
from  Taylor?"  remarks  her  father. 

"Don't  think  that's  possible,"  says  Moncton ;  "Tay 
lor  won't  be  able  to  move  for  a  couple  of  months  at  the 
rate  he's  getting  ready." 

"Yes,  and  you're  keeping  him  from  it,"  cries  Es- 
trella ;  "such  men  as  you,  father.  When  you  say  that 
American  victory  means  the  settlement  of  all  these 
lands  and  enormous  wealth  to  you,  why  don't  you  give 
up  a  little  for  the  present  and  let  Hays  have  horses  for 
his  regiment,  who  defend  us  from  Indians  and  Mexi 
cans?" 

"Why,  you're  quite  a  stump  speaker,"  laughs  Monc 
ton,  and  her  father  smilingly  pats  his  daughter's  cheek 
and  says :  "Business  first,  my  child ;  then  sentiment." 

About  this  time  a  Ranger  comes  riding  up,  and 
checking  his  pony  in  front  of  the  hotel,  calls :  "Jack 
Hays  wants  to  see  you  again,  gentlemen.  He's  got 
something  from  Taylor's  quartermaster,  gentlemen, 
that  will  fix  you,  he  says." 

"Golly,  a  contract  from  Uncle  Sammy !"  cries  Monc 
ton,  and  the  two  men  go  out  together  and  hurry  down 
the  street,  leaving  Miss  Godfrey  alone  to  get  a  Mex 
ican  dinner. 

So  smiling  rather  sadly  at  herself,  the  young  lady 
rolls  in  her  pretty  fingers  tortillas  and  dips  up  with 
them  her  stew  of  chili-colorado  and  tasajo. 


198  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

Then,  interested  in  the  life  in  the  pueblo,  she  wan 
ders  off  by  herself  into  the  picturesque  Spanish  streets, 
and  is  quite  contentedly  inspecting  some  Mexican  boys 
with  donkeys  and  women  who  are  washing  clothes  on 
the  banks  of  San  Pedro  Creek,  when  to  her  delight 
and  astonishment  she  chances  to  raise  her  bright,  eyes 
and  place  them  upon  Wild  Harry. 

To  her  excited :  "Mr.  Love,  don't  you  remember 
Estrella  Godfrey?"  he  answers  rather  surlily:  "Sure 
I  remember  ye,  miss.  But  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  ye 
didn't  remember  us." 

"Remember  you.  Why  not  ?  Did  you  not  hear  what 
I  said  to  you  when  you  left  me :  'To  come  to  the 
hacienda  if  you  ever  wanted  a  home  or  a  friend.'  '' 
Then  she  breaks  out  reproachfully :  "And  you  didn't 
go  to  the  front  with  Hampton's  company?" 

The  answer  she  gets  horrifies  her. 

"No,  I'm  in  Gillespie's,"  answers  Harry  gloomily. 
"I  didn't  care  to  go  with  a  man  what's  got  death  in 
his  eye.  I  want  one  chance  for  my  life  and  I  don't 
think  Sharpe  Hampton  cares  to  have  any  chance.  Ye 
see  thar  are  some  purty  nice  gals  that  gets  men's  hearts, 
and,  well — well,  ye're  the  only  woman  that  ever  didn't 
take  a  shine  to  Sharpe  Hampton." 

"I  don't  understand  what  you  mean  to  insinuate," 
returns  the  reproached  one,  haughtily.  "Even  if  you 
are  crazy,  you've  no  right  to  speak  to  me  in  that  man 
ner  or  on  such  a  subject."  Miss  Godfrey  moves  away, 
but,  womanlike,  she  will  have  the  last  word.  She  turns 
and  adds:  "Besides,  you're  unjust." 

"Unjust?  No,  I  ain't  unjust  and  I  ain't  crazy.  I'm 
only  cute,  I  am." 

But  Estrella  is  so  eager  in  her  self -exculpation  that 
she  goes  on :  "I  did  write  to  Captain  Hampton." 

"Wall,  then  he  never  got  it." 

"Never  got  it!    What  makes  you  think  that?"  asks 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  K;9 

Miss  Godfrey,  her  eyes,  that  had  been  distressed,  now 
beaming  as  the  sun  on  Mr.  Love. 

"Wall,  when  I  bid  Sharpe  good-bye,  he  said :  'Har 
ry,  ye'll  find  me  t'other  side  of  Jordan.'  And,"  asserts 
the  Texan,  inspecting  the  superb  yet  ethereal  creature 
who  stands  blushing  before  him,  "no  man  that  ye'd 
treated  just  right  and  was  dead  honey  on  ye  from  his 
spurs  to  his  scalp-lock,  would  want  to  go  t'other 
side  of  Jordan  unless  he  toted  ye  with  him  !" 

"Never  got  it!  Never  got  my  letter!  And  Pablo 
swore  he  delivered  it." 

"What!  Pablo,  a  Greaser,  I  reckon?  Trust  a 
Greaser?  Waugh !  Somebody's  been  ambushin'  ye, 
Miss  Godfrey." 

"Perhaps,"  answers  Estrella,  so  sadly  that  Mr.  Love 
suggests  encouragingly  :  "Keep  up  yer  spunk !  Seein' 
ye  ain't  to  blame,  I'll  tell  the  Cap !  Perhaps  that  will 
save  his  life." 

"Oh,  will  you?"  cries  the  young  lady,  for  this  mat 
ter  is  too  close  to  her  to  let  false  modesty  thwart  it. 
"Please  tell  Captain  Hampton  that  I  did  write  to  him 
and  that  I  am  grateful  for  all  that  he  has  done  for  me. 
Please  don't  fail  to  tell  him  that." 

Here  Love  gives  her  an  awful  shock.    He  chuckles : 
"Very  well,  I'll  tell  on  ye  right  off." 
"Right  off  ?    What  do  you  mean  ?" 
"I  mean  Cap  Hampton's  just  come  up  from  Mata- 
moras,  ridin'  day  an'  night,  with  an  order  from  Uncle 
Sam's  Quartermaster-Gineral  that  will  git  the  horses 
for  our  rigiment  from  any  bronco  dealer  on  earth. 
Ye  just  take  yer  stand  by  the  river  bank  down  yonder 
in  them  pecans,   Miss.     I'll  bring  him  to  yer,"  and 
Harry  strides  away. 

During  this  last  oration,  the  maiden  has  been  too 
surprised  and  confused  to  open  her  lips.  '  She  now  rtms 


2OO  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

after  him,  crying:  "No,  no!    For  Heaven's  sake,  what 
will  he  think  of  me !" 

"That  ye're  about  right,  I  reckon,"  laughs  the  Ran 
ger.  Gazing  at  her  fairylike  loveliness,  he  chuckles : 
"I'll  tell  the  Cap  to  load  fer  butterfly !"  and  his  long  legs 
soon  carry  him  out  of  hearing  from  Miss  Godfrey,  the 
clinging  skirt  of  whose  riding-habit  prevents  very  rapid 
movement. 

For  a  moment  she  stands,  her  eyes  frightened,  her 
features  pale  and  twitching  in  bashful  tremor;  then 
her  face  grows  red  as  some  prairie  roses  at  her  feet; 
she  says  determinedly:  "I'll  do  it!"  and  walks  trem 
blingly  down  a  lawn-like  slope  to  sit  by  the  side  of  the 
blue  waters  of  the  San  Antonio  flowing  in  pretty  rip 
ples  between  banks  shaded  picturesquely  by  the  vary 
ing  foliage  of  grand  oaks,  graceful  ash  trees  and  a 
grove  of  pecans  whose  leaves  afford  the  young  lady  a 
grateful  shade  this  warm  July  day. 

But  after  a  little,  the  strain  of  waiting  overcomes 
her;  she  starts  as  if  to  fly  from  the  passions  raging 
within  her  distracted  soul,  and  mutters  jeering- 
ly :  "If  he  got  my  letter  and  didn't  heed  it,  then  my 
message  by  word  of  mouth  will  hardly  bring  him  to 
me." 

A  few  days  ago  she  no  more  could  have  waited  for 
Hampton  by  appointment  than  have  given  herself  to 
him  unasked;  but  the  helpless,  despairing  misery  of 
the  last  month,  during  which  have  been  forced  on  her 
the  attentions  of  a  man  she  loathes,  from  whose  suit 
there  is  no  protection  by  her  father,  when  in  fact  she 
knows  Godfrey  will  ultimately  exercise  direct  authori 
ty  to  compel  her  to  become  this  man's  bride,  lends  the 
half  frantic  girl  a  kind  of  desperate  boldness.  To  her 
self  she  cries  :  "I  have  only  had  one  love  in  this  world, 
and — and  Harry  said  that  he  wanted  death  because  of 
my  ingratitude.  Nonsense,  'twas  my  love  he  wanted. 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  2OI 

Hampton's  beating  heart  against  my  own  told  me  that 
as  I  rode  in  his  arms  fleeing  from  the  Comanches.  It 
was  the  foolish,  headstrong,  impassioned  words  of  that 
wild  young  dragoon  that  kept  his  lips  silent!"  then 
sneers  at  herself:  "That's  as  immodest  and  arrogant 
conceit  as  woman  ever  had !  No,  no,  I  must  not  meet 
him!  What  will  my  father  think  of  my  humiliating 
myself  again  to  Hampton  against  his  absolute  com 
mands  ?" 

This  she  answers  by:  "Pish,  it  is  not  dad's  correc 
tion  I  fear;  'tis  that  my  pride  may  be  once  more 
wounded !"  and  muttering  hoarsely  :  "That  shall  not 
be!"  rises  to  hurry  from  this  place.  But  in  the  very 
act  she  pauses  and  through  her  lips  her  heart  speaks; 
she  half  screams,  half  falters :  "Sharpe !" 

And  it  is  as  if  their  separation  had  never  been; 
the  Ranger  Captain  is  looking  at  her  as  he  did  on  the 
prairie.  For  Hampton,  his  dress  disordered  by  the  aw 
ful  travail  of  sixty  continuous  hours  in  the  saddle,  is 
standing  before  the  beautiful  object  of  his  love. 

At  her  cry,  the  great  hope  that  thrills  him  makes  this 
warrior  of  the  plains  tireless,  his  eyes  grow  as  brightly 
possessive  as  a  panther's,  though  hers  are  timid  and 
shrinking  as  a  doe's.  It  is  the  first  time  she  has  called 
him  by  his  Christian  name;  her  accents  carry  with 
them,  love,  passion,  greeting ! 

That  during  twelve  weeks  he  has  hungered  for, 
dreamed  of  and  despaired  of  this  maiden,  who  looks 
beautiful  as  one  of  Diana's  nymphs  eluding  Actoeon,  as 
with  her  riding  skirt  gathered  up  in  one  hand,  she  is 
trying  with  faltering  feet  to  flee  from  him,  makes  him 
do  the  best  thing  for  any  lover — if  he  is  loved. 

The  training  of  a  trapper  is  to  catch  his  game. 
Sharpe  Hampton  catches  his !  With  one  athletic  stride, 
he  has  the  flying  beauty  encircled  by  an  arm  of  steel, 
and  is  half  whispering,  half  moaning  to  her :  "Why  for 


202  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

three  months  did  you  take  the  sun  out  of  my  heavens, 
sweetheart?"  and  she  in  a  semi-crazy  way  is  sobbing 
and  crying,  and  her  fair  head  has  fallen  upon  his  shoul 
der.  The  next  second  their  hearts  are  beating  against 
each  other  as  wildly  as  they  did  when  he  had  borne 
her  in  his  arms  over  the  prairie  from  the  Indians.  But 
in  addition,  their  lips  have  met;  not  in  one  kiss,  but 
in  a  dozen — not  short  ones,  either,  but  whole-souled 
and  passionate  with  youthful  love.  And  panting  on 
his  breast,  she  who  ten  minutes  since  had  thought  her 
self  the  most  miserable  girl  in  the  world,  now  thinks 
herself  the  happiest  on  earth — for  she  knows  that  she 
is  his.  . 

Then  modesty  getting  the  best  of  love,  she  falters : 
"Oh,  Heavens,  what  must  you  think  of  me!"  Next 
questions  in  pathetic  reproach :  "Sharpe,  how  could 
you  ever  go  to  battle  and  to  death  without  even  bid 
ding  me  good-bye?  Was  it  the  wild  words  of  that 
crazy  Pelham,  the  dragoon,  that  I  heard  from  over  the 
balcony  at  Corpus  Christi,  when  he  told  you  to  take 
good  care  of  his  treasure,  that  kept  your  lips  silent 
when  you — you  must  have  known — that  I  loved  you? 
My  heart  beating  against  yours  in  the  wilderness  as 
wildly  as  it  does  now  must  have  told  you  that."  This 
last  is  said  with  averted  head ;  the  Ranger's  eyes  are 
too  ardent  for  her  to  meet  his  glance. 

"I  thought  Pelham  had  a  right  to  you,"  answers 
Hampton,  in  frontier  simplicity.  "Now  I  know  he 
hadn't.  You  wouldn't  give  yourself  to  me  if  he  had. 
You're  not  the  kind  of  girl  to  play  with  two  men  at 
one  time.'' 

"No,  indeed,  I'm  not!"  says  Estrella,  very  truth 
fully,  and  receives  for  her  candor  a  very  pleasant  re 
ward. 

After  a  little  both  grow  slightly  more  rational,  and 
sit  down  side  by  side.  But  soon  the  lady  commences  to 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  203 

ask  questions :  "Why  did  you  not  answer  my  note  that 
I  wrote  asking  you  before  you  left  for  danger  and  bat 
tle  to  come  and  bid  me  good-bye  ?" 

"The  only  missive  that  I  have  received  from  your 
hacienda,"  remarks  Hampton  shortly,  his  eyes  resting 
very  tenderly  on  the  loveliness  before  him,  for  the  girl 
in  her  excitement  and  passion  looks  in  the  flesh  even 
more  enchanting  than  perchance  she  had  seemed  to  his 
imagination,  and  he  has  thought  of  her  very  often, 
"was  one  from  your  father,  in  which  he  enclosed  a 
draft  on  Galveston  for  your  expenses  and  what  he 
deemed  the  price  of  Mulefoot,  that  I  had  left  as  a 
present  for  you." 

"Why,  it  was  almost  an  insult !"  cries  his  sweetheart, 
indignantly. 

"Yes,  I  hardly  thought  it  over  polite.  At  all  events, 
I  concluded  it  indicated  your  father  wished  to  be  rid  of 
an  unpleasant  obligation." 

"And  dad  did  that?"  says  Estrella  bitterly;  then 
queries  eagerly:  "And  you  never  received  my  letter 
begging  you  to  come  and  say  good-bye  to  me?  The 
one  with  the  little  flower  in  it,  one  of  the  posies  you 
plucked  for  m,e  on  the  prairie.  I  kept  the  rest,  Sharpe," 
murmurs  the  girl,  archly  but  diffidently,  "though  papa 
commanded  me  never  to  think  of  you  again,  and  my 
pride  told  me  that,  too.  And  if  I  hadn't  been  nearly 
crazy  with  misery,  I  don't  think  you  would  have  got 
me,  Sharpe." 

"Crazy  with  misery.  You've  turned  to  me  because 
you're  unhappy?" 

"Oh,  no ;  not  that.  But  I  don't  think  I  would  have 
ever  seen  you  again  if  I  hadn't  been  so  desperate  that 
I — I  wasn't  as  modest  as  I  generally  am." 

Whereupon  Miss  Godfrey  tells  of  Moncton's  pur 
suit  of  her,  stating  that  her  father  is  pressing  her  to 
marry  his  superintendent  because  they'll  both  be  pau- 


204  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

pers  if  she  doesn't.  "But  I — I  couldn't  give  myself  to 
any  man  but  you,  and — and  that's  embarrassing 
enough,"  falters  the  young  lady ;  for  the  first  rap 
ture  of  surrender  being  over,  Hampton's  eyes  are 
so  ardent  that  she  hangs  her  head,  though  perhaps 
she  loves  him  more  because,  having  modestly  won  her, 
he  now  fondles  her  as  backwoods  boy  does  frontier 
sweetheart.  Though  in  truth  the  Captain  is  very  ten 
der  with  this  graceful  creature,  who  seems  to  him  like 
a  fairy  descended  to  earth  to  bless  him  with  her  ethe 
real  beauty  and  radiant  love. 

She  now  also  receives  the  consolation  of  being  sup 
ported  by  a  man  who  may  be  very  diffident  in  his  woo 
ing,  but  is  very  strong  in  his  possession.  She  is  sure 
that  having  won  her,  her  Ranger  sweetheart  will  never 
permit  her  to  be  another's. 

Hampton  says  shortly :  "Sweetheart,  don't  let  that 
bother  you  a  little  bit.  You  just  tell  your  dad  that 
you're  Sharpe  Hampton's  promised  wife,  and  you  tell 
that  also  to  that  Moncton  when  he  comes  talking  honey 
to  you,  and  he'll  know  it  means  that  he  lets  you  alone, 
or " 

"Or,"  she  breaks  in  sadly,  "or  you  risk  your  life  in 
personal  combat." 

"I'm  accustomed  to  that." 

"Yes,  you  risked"  it  against  a  whole  Mexican  army," 
she  murmurs ;  then  sighs :  "Did  you  do  that  because 
you  didn't  think  you'd  get  me?" 

The  answer  that  she  receives  is  not  as  complimentary 
as  perchance  she  expected.  "Not  exactly,"  answers 
Hampton  promptly.  "I  did  it  because  it  was  my  duty. 
Of  course,  I  felt  blue  as  thunder,  but  I  don't  commit 
suicide  for  misery.  You  wouldn't  want  happiness  to 
make  a  coward  of  me,  either,  I  suppose  ?" 

"Oh,  no,"  sighs  his  sweetheart.  "Of  course,  I  know 
you're  compelled  to  go  to  the  front." 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  205 

"Oh,  not  immediately.  Taylor  won't  be  able  to  move 
for  six  weeks.  I  only  brought  the  order  up  to  get  the 
horses  for  Hays's  command  two  hours  ago.  The  boys 
won't  be  ready  to  go  down  for  two  or  three  weeks. 
Worth's  Division  won't  be  concentrated  at  Camargo  for 
a  month  more.  A  third  of  the  volunteers  and  regulars 
haven't  left  New  Orleans  yet  for  the  big  campaign  in 
Northern  Mexico,  and  by  the  White  Buffalo,  in  the  two 
or  three  weeks'  leave  I'll  get" — Hampton  emphasizes 
his  words  with  a  possessive  pressure  on  the  delicate 
waist  that  vibrates  in  his  grasp — "we're  going  to  have — 
if  you  say  so,  girl — the  very  nicest  honeymoon 

"Oh,  Heaven  !"  gasps  the  young  lady. 

"And  I'm  going  to  have  the  very  sweetest  bride  man 
ever  had." 

"You  mean  you  would  marry  me  immediately?"  fal 
ters  Miss  Godfrey,  in  almost  terrified  amazement. 
"Why,  I've — I've  only  seen  your  face  a  few  months." 

"Oh,  yes;  I've  only  seen  your  face  that  time,  too. 
Reckon  I  might  as  well  be  scared  as  you.  But  I'm 
gritty  in  the  marriage  matter,  I  am,"  says  Sharpe,  en 
thusiastically.  "Bill  Baldwin  only  knew  his  girl  two 
days,  and  Luther  Loring  married  his  wife  the  morning 
after  he  rescued  her  from  the  Apaches.  You've  got 
pluck  enough  for  a  Ranger's  wife,  Strella!"  It's  the 
first  time  he  has  used  her  Christian  name,  but  it  seems 
to  come,  easily  to  his  tongue.  "And  after  we've  had  two 
or  three  weeks  of  bliss,  you  put  the  kiss  of  a  soldier's 
wife  on  my  lips  and  you  say :  'Sharpe,  you  go  down 
and  do  your  duty  for  your  country.'  " 

"But  my  father !"  murmurs  the  demanded  one,  trem 
blingly. 

"Oh,  don't  bother  yourself  about  him.  I'll  take  care 
of  that.  I've  seen  dads  pick  out  the  wrong  men  for 
their  daughters'  husbands  and — guess  again,"  laughs 
Hampton,  as  if  the  affair  was  settled.  "You  explain 


206  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

the  matter  to  the  old  man  and  I'll  be  down  to  see  you 
to-morrow  evening.  I  cannot  get  away  before.  But 
perhaps  you'd  better  tell  your  father  to  let  you  stay  up 
in  San  Antonio  till  the  wedding." 

"No — no,  I  must  break  it  to  him  quietly,"  pleads  the 
girl.  "Sharpe,  give  me  a  few  hours  to  break  it  to  dad, 
though  1  suppose  he'll  see  it  in  my  face.  Besides,  it 
won't  be  so  hard  after  all,  for  papa  loves  me. 

"Very  well,"  remarks  Hampton,  "you  tell  dad  in 
your  own  way.  I'm  right  glad  you  say  that  you're  no 
great  shakes  for  money.  Tell  you  the  truth,  that  big 
hacienda  always  seemed  to  stand  between  us,  but  I've 
a  little  plantation  of  my  own  up  in  Shelby  County,  and 
if  you're  the  girl  I  think  you  are,  you'd  share  my  blan 
ket  if  I  hadn't  but  one  to  my  name !" 

"Yes,  I  would!"  answers  Strella,  stoutly.  Though 
her  face  is  very  red,  as  for  this  nice  answer  she  re 
ceives  a  kiss  that  makes  her  quiver  from  head  to  heel. 

"Remember  this,  I  can't  give  you  more  than  a  couple 
of  days  to  get  ready  for  the  wedding,"  whispers  the 
Ranger,  very  longingly. 

"No,  Sharpe,  that'll  be  enough,  because  I — I  love 
you,"  murmurs  Estrella.  She  puts  her  arms  tenderly 
about  him,  and  makes  him  happy  with  a  kiss  that  car 
ries  her  soul  to  her  lips. 

But  here  Hampton  mutters :  "I'm  afraid  I've  been 
a  little  selfish  in  my  love.  I've  no  right  to  ask  you  to 
hitch  your  fate,  sweetheart,  with  a  man's  who  may  be 
dead  in  a  month.  Though  I'd  like  to  call  you  wife 
before  I  die,  dear  one — just  wouldn't  seem  quite  right 
if  I  didn't." 

"And  you  shall !"  cries  his  fiancee,  impetuously. 
"You  said  two  days — in  two  days  I  call  you  husband 
and  you  call  me " 

"Wife !"  whispers  Hampton,  taking  off  his  som 
brero  to  her  in  his  simple  frontier  way,  for  the  word 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  2Oy 

"wife"  produces  reverence  as  well  as  ardor  in  true  man 
hood. 

So,  with  her  hand  in  her  affianced's,  Estrella  strolls 
out  of  the  pecan  grove  to  grow  red  under  the  eyes  of 
Mr.  Love,  who,  apparently  awaiting  them,  sits  whit 
tling  a  willow  branch. 

The  frontiersman  gazes  at  the  coming  bride,  emits 
a  prolonged  whistle  and  ejaculates,  sententiously : 
"Dropped !'' 

"Yes,  I'm  Sharpe  Hampton's  gal!"  says  the  new 
fiancee,  bashfully  but  proudly,  in  frontier  fashion, 
though  in  truth  she  wonders  even  now  whether  she  is 
rational  or  not,  her  "dropping"  having  been  so  sudden. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A   MIGHTY   SUSPICION. 

Here  Hampton  says :  "Love,  you  needn't  open 
your  mouth  about  this  to  the  boys !" 

"No,  sirree!"  answers  Harry. 

But  Miss  Godfrey,  taking  a  sweetheart's  privilege, 
suddenly  cries :  -"Sharpe,  you  haven't  had  any  sleep 
for  sixty  hours.  Now,  be  a  good  boy  and  go  off  and 
get  some  rest.  Mr.  Love  will  take  me  back  to  the 
hotel !" 

"Right  ye  are,"  rejoins  the  frontiersman,  and  turns 
his  back  abruptly  upon  the  couple.  This,  as  they  are 
still  secluded  by  shrubbery  from  the  street,  gives 
Hampton  an  opportunity  for  a  farewell  kiss.  The 
girl,  as  she  returns  it,  makes  him  very  happy  by  prat 
tling  in  an  affianced's  voice :  "Now  please  do  what  I 
say.  Get  a  little  sleep.  You're  not  all  iron,  you — 
you're  flesh  and  blood." 


2O8  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

"Oh,  very  much  flesh  and  blood  when  I  get  you  in 
my  arms,"  answers  Hampton,  with  such  a  look  in  his 
eyes  that  the  coming  bride  retreats  from  him  laugh 
ingly,  yet  blushingly.  To  her  he  says,  significantly : 
"Don't  forget,  Sis,  I'll  be  down  to  see  dad  to-morrow 
evening  at  Live  Oaks  and  make  arrangements  for  the 
wedding." 

"Yes,  Sharpe,  to-morrow  evening,"  whispers  Miss 
Godfrey,  and  watches  with  her  heart  in  her  eyes  the 
Captain  stride  back  towards  the  Rangers'  quarters  just 
across  the  great  plaza,  then  very  happily  and  excitedly 
trips  off  towards  the  inn,  escorted  by  Mr.  Love. 

"Thar's  purty  considerable  ginger  left  in  Sharpe 
yit,  allowin'  he's  travell'd  horseback  three  days  and 
nights  runnin',  eh?"  suggests  Wild  Harry. 

"Y-e-s."  murmurs  the  girl. 

"Ye  look  as  if  he'd  been  'bout  as  spry  wid  ye  as  three 
or  four  city  fellers !"  laughs  her  companion,  "yer  hair's 
mussed  awful." 

"Yes,  but  please  don't  talk  about  it,  Mr.  Love,"  fal 
ters  Estrella,  hanging  her  head,  though  there  is  a 
mighty  elation  in  her  heart.  She  thinks :  "This 
morning,  shuddering  from  the  proffered  hand  of  Jas 
per  Moncton ;  this  afternoon,  happy  in  the  arms  of 
Sharpe  Hampton."  Suddenly  her  bliss  is  tempered 
with  the  direful  consideration :  "How  shall  I  tell  my 
father  when  he  says  what  I  am  about  to  do  will  bring 
beggary  upon  him?"  and  the  agitated  girl  would  go 
into  a  miserable  brown  study  were  Mr.  Love,  the  es 
cort,  to  give  her  time  for  contemplation. 

As  he  walks  by  her  side  he  is  chuckling:  "Ye  war 
jis'.  like  the  coon  up  the  tree  and  Martin  Scott,*  weren't 


*  Col.  Martin  Scott  of  the  Fifth  Infantry,  who  was  killed 
when  gallantly  leading  the  American  assault  on  the  Casa  Mata 
at  the  battle  of  Molino  del  Rey,  was  so  celebrated  for  his 
deadly  marksmanship  with  the  rifle  in  the  South  and  West  that 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  209 

ye,  Miss  'Strella  ?  When  he  come  along  you  say : 
'Oh,  dat  you,  Sharpe  Hampton?  You're  such  a  dead 
shot,  I'll  come  right  down !' ': 

This,  emphasized  by  the  frontiersman's  coonlike  ac 
tions,  would  make  Miss  Godfrey  laugh  in  a  half  bash 
ful,  half  hysterical  way,  did  not  the  harum-scarum  fel 
low  suddenly  say :  "And  he's  most  kissed  yer  mam 
my's  locket  off  ye."  For  in  her  interview  with  her 
affianced  Miss  Godfrey  has  pulled  this  trinket  from 
out  her  riding  habit  to  show  it  to  the  Ranger  Captain 
as  proof  of  her  father's  great  love  and  tenderness  for 
her,  and  now  it  is  carelessly  dangling  about  her  white 
neck  by  its  golden  chain. 

"Ah,  you  recognize  the  trinket,"  murmurs  Miss  God 
frey,  much  more  interested  in  other  things  than  in  her 
jewelry. 

"Sartin !  Every  one  at  Live  Oaks  knowed  that  'ere 
locket.  Yer  dad  ordered  it  made  down  in  Mata- 
moras.  It's  Greaser  workmanship.  Look  here! 
Reckon  I  do  know  the  locket !"  Wild  Harry  takes  the 
bauble  as  it  dangles  from  her,  and  shows  he  is  well 
acquainted  with  the  trinket,  for  he  presses  the  hidden 
spring  and  astounds  Estrella  by  saying :  "How  do  you 
like  yer  dad's  face!" 

"My  dad's  face !"  half  screams  the  girl. 

"Shucks,  it's  empty,"  mutters  the  erratic  fellow. 
"Ye  yanked  dad  out  to  put  Sharpe's  picture  in,  eh  ?" 

"But  there  was  a  picture  there  two  days  ago,"  whis 
pers  Estrella.  "You  said  my  father's  face!"  Then 
she  suddenly  asks,  a  strange  quiver  in  her  voice : 
"What  was  the  portrait  like?  You're  certain  my 
father  had  one  painted  ?" 


the  story  of  a  raccoon,  perched  on  a  very  high  tree,  seeing 
Scott  pass  along  with  a  walking  stick  in  hand,  and  crying  out : 
"Dat  you,  Martin  Scott  ?  You  needn't  shoot,  I'll  come  down !" 
was  a  popular  anecdote  at  that  time. —  kditot . 


210  THE  SPY  COMPANY. 

"Oh,  sure  as  ye're  trembling  now.  On  ivory;  or 
chiney.  Yer  dad  said  it  was  to  send  to  yer  mammy. 
Bless  yer  heart,  he  was  so  proud  of  his  picture,  he 
showed  it  to  everybody  about  the  plantation.  Didn't 
he  show  it  to  ye  ?  It  had  an  Italian  name  written 
under  it." 

"Amalfi !"  screams  the  girl. 

"Why,  yes;  ye  guessed  it  fust  time!"  answers  Love, 
and,  playing  with  the  locket,  does  not  note  that  his  lis 
tener's  face  has  grown  pallid  and  her  eyes  strained  by 
some  marvellous  and  astounding  thought.  "That  was 
the  name  of  the  travelling  Italian  that  painted  it,"  con 
tinues  Harry,  closing  the  trinket.  "The  pronouncing 
of  Amalfi  always  kinder  stuck  in  my  windpipe.  He 
was  a  no-count  kind  of  a  dago,  who'd  wandered  up 
here  jist  afore  yer  dad  went  on  that  'ere  expedition 
lookin'  fer  the  Gran  Quevira*  that  time  when  the  Co- 
manches  came  down  and  wiped  out  the  plantation'and 
killed  my  mammy.  You  remember,  girl,  my  mammy !" 
Love's  eyes  grow  so  dim  he  doesn't  notice  the  mon 
strous  effect  his  words  have  had  upon  his  companion. 

For  Miss  Godfrey  is  thinking  very  hard,  and  now 
has  a  strange  suspicion  in  her  voice,  as  she  is  saying 
with  lips  that  have  grown  ashen:  '.'You  can  see  my 
father  to-day  without  wounding  your  feelings  by  visit 
ing  the  place  of  your  mother's  death.  He  is  here  in 
town." 

"What,  Jim  Godfrey  here!  It's  strange  I  haven't 
put  my  eyes  on  him !"  cries  Harry,  heartily. 

"Yes,  he's  now  at  the  old  Mexican  posada,  talking 
to  your  Colonel.  Supposing  you  go  down  and  shake 

*The  myth  of  the  lost  mines  of  la  Gran  Quevira  was  at 
one  time  in  Texas  as  much  believed  in  as  those  of  the  Lost 
Cabin,  the  Silver  Bullet  and  the  Death  Valley  mines  are  at 
present  among  many  of  the  prospectors  of  the  West. — Editor. 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.    -  211 

his  hand,  and  come  along  with  him.  I'd — I'd  like  to 
see  you  very  much  together." 

"Wall,  I'd  like  to  see  myself  together  with  Jim  God 
frey  very  much,  Miss  Strella,"  remarks  the  frontiers 
man.  "Though  I  shan't  say  nothin'  to  dad.  Like  to 
tell  dad  yerself.  Little  bashful,  eh?  For  Estrella  is 
quivering  and  waving  like  a  lily  swaying  in  the  breeze. 

"Yes,  and  even  if  you  don't  see  my  dad,"  falters  the 
girl,  a  curious,  weird  intensity  in  her  voice,  "don't  say 
anything  about  this  locket  or — or  anything  else  to 
Hampton.  At  least,  not  until  you've  seen  me." 

"Why,  sartin',  but  I  don't  see  how  that  makes  any 
difference."  Here  the  frontiersman  interrupts  his  own 
speech  by  suddenly  crying  out :  "Great  Golly !  Love 
has  made  ye  luny !" 

For  Estrella  is  reeling  and  gasping  half  hysterical 
ly  :  "You  said  my  father's  face  was  in  that  locket. 
My  father's  face !  Oh,  it  seemed  to  come  to  me  out  of 
the  past !  Good  heavens,  I  begin  to  remember,  I — I — " 

"Holy  poker,  this  hot  sun  or  Sharpe  Hampton-lias 
rubbed  yer  poor  brain  out !"  mutters  Wild  Harry,  and 
seizes  the  delicate  girl  to  keep  her  from  falling.  Then 
he  takes  her  in  his  strong  arms  and  carries  her  back 
to  the  inn,  where,  finding  her  father  has  not  returned, 
he  says  to  the  Mexican  hostess :  "Here's  a  gal  who's 
got  sunstruck  or  high  strikes  or  something.  Ye  re 
vive  her.  I'm  too  bashful  to  unlace  her  stays  and  do 
the  proper  thing  by  her !" 

As  soon  as  "the  proper  thing"  is  done  for  Miss  God 
frey  in  the  retirement  of  a  little  chamber  of  the  posada 
by  a  couple  of  Mexican  girls,  Mr.  Love  goes  away  to 
find  her  daddy. 

Quite  shortly  Estrella  revives  and  goes  to  pacing  her 
room,  muttering:  "That  picture  taken  from  the 
locket,  by  whom?  and  why  taken?  The  sight  of  it 
was  a  surprise  to  my  father,  my — Is  he  my  father? 


212  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

Oh,  God,  what  is  in  my  head  ?  Is  he  my  father  ?  But 
Love  will  see  him.  Ten  years  can't  have  changed  him 
too  much  to  be  recognized.  Still,  it  is  very  curious, 
very  suspicious."  And  she  recalls  the  mysterious 
change  in  her  father's  letters  after  the  Rock  Springs 
fight,  and  begins  to  remember  what  Hampton  had  told 
her  on  the  steamer  about  the  man  they  had  rescued 
from  the  desert  combat,  and  his  going  back  to  the  Live 
Oaks  hacienda,  and,  after  discovering  every  lj/ing 
thing  upon  it  dead,  making  up  his  mind  to  rebuild  and 
restock  it,  though  before  that  he  had  only  intended  to 
obtain  the  gold  buried  in  its  ruins  and  then  go  away 
from  it.  Frantically  she  strikes  her  forehead  and  asks : 
"Could  it  be  possible?"  and  answers  herself:  "Yes, 
it  might!  Every  white  man  on  the  plantation  butch 
ered.  Nearly  every  settler  that  could  possibly  have 
seen  his  face  gone  to  death  at  the  massacres  of  the 
Alamo  and  Goliad.  Every  negro  on  his  plantation  run 
off ;  the  whole  country  deserted  and  made  a  desert  by 
raids  of  the  savages  and  forays  of  the  Mexican  ranch- 
eros.  It  might  be !" 

Then,  sweetheart's  confidence  coming  into  her,  she 
murmurs :  "I  must  see  Sharpe.  I  must  get  Wild 
Harry  to  bring  him  to  me,"  next  pauses  and  mutters : 
"My  Heaven,  no ;  "not  till  I  am  sure.  If  Sharpe  doubt 
ed  my  father  also,  and  dad  turned  out  to  be  dad,  then 
he  would  never  forgive  my  husband.  It  will  be  hard 
enough  now  when  Hampton's  marriage  to  me  ruins 
dad,"  next  bursts  out  hysterically :  "Dad !  Oh,  I  pray 
Heaven  he  is  dad !"  and  through  her  kindly  mind  comes 
a  frantic  hope  that  her  suspicion  may  come  to  naught. 
She  has  given  this  man  a  daughter's  tender  love  so 
long  she  finds  it  very  hard  to  think  it  only  dross.  She 
has  placed  him  on  high  in  her  confidence  and  affec 
tions,  'tis  difficult  to  throw  him  into  the  dust.  She 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  213 

murmurs  to  herself :  "Oh,  God,  I  loved  him  so  dearly, 
and  yet  I  must  know !" 

Pacing  the  room,  she  waits  for  Harry  to  return,  and, 
finally,  such  is  her  anxiety,  goes  down  into  the  street 
and  watches  for  him. 

But  the  Texan  Ranger  never  comes  along,  and,  tired 
with  wracking;  anxiety  and  tremendous  suspense,  the 
girl  goes  back  into  the  inn  and  seats  herself  on  the 
low  balcony  of  the  posada  and  still  watches. 

Shortly  after  Godfrey  and  Moncton  come  hastily 
walking  up  the  street,  full  of  the  excitement  of  a  big 
horse  trade.  As  they  pause  at  the  entrance  of  the  inn 
she,  sitting  on  the  low  balcony  that  is  scarce  five  feet 
over  their  heads,  hears  Moncton  say  to  Godfrey : 
"That  order  of  Uncle  Sam's  Quartermaster's  all  right." 

"Sure,"  replies  the  other ;  then  asks :  "Do  you  know 
who  brought  it  ?"  and  whispers  some  name  she  cannot 
distinguish. 

This  is  greeted  by  a  muttered  execration  from  Jas 
per,  who  adds  :  "Curse  him  !  Fortunately,  he's  been 
in  the  saddle  three  days  and  wasn't  very  lively  to  get 
about  town  to  see  her." 

"That's  so  much  the  more  reason  we'd  better  get 
her  out  of  town  quick,"  answers  Godfrey,  and  orders 
their  horses  to  be  hastily  brought  up. 

At  their  summons  the  girl  descends  to  them.  Fortu 
nately,  it  is  now  growing  dark,  and  they  don't  look  very 
closely  at  her,  but  when  her  father  approaches  her  to 
place  her  in  the  saddle  she  draws  slightly  back  and 
says:  "Mr.  Moncton,  please."  This  so  delights  both 
Godfrey  and  her  suitor  that  both  gentlemen  seem 
very  much  pleased  with  their  fair  charge  as  they  lope 
along. 

But  between  them  rides  a  girl  whose  eyes  sparkle 
as  the  stars  of  the  night  above  her,  and  whose  soul  is 
wracked  with  "Is  this  man  my  father?  If  he  is,  for 


214  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

my  suspicion  I'll  sue  his  pardon  on  my  bended  knees. 
If  he  is  not,  let  him  beware,  for  he  has  accepted  from 
my  lips  the  kisses  of  a  daughter."  In  her  agitation  she 
has  almost  forgotten  that  she  is  coming  bride  to  the 
Ranger  Captain. 

Elated  with  Estrella's  complaisance  to  Moncton,  and 
likewise  a  successful  horse  trade,  and  talking  mostly 
of  that,  her  two  escorts  during  this  dark  ride  do  not 
note  the  distracting  passions  on  Miss  Godfrey's  face. 

This  is  very  fortunate.  It  gives  the  young  lady 
not  only  time  to  control  the  display  of  her  emotions,, 
but  to  determine  upon  her  methods  of  action.  But  the 
conversation  as  they  ride  along  brings  Miss  Godfrey's 
thoughts  once  more  upon  her  love,  yet  also  makes  her 
reticent  in  regard  to  it. 

The  gentlemen  are  quite  merry  over  the  price  they 
have  got  for  their  horses  from  the  Ranger  Colonel, 
Godfrey  saying :  "jingo,  didn't  Hays  hold  out  on  the 
figure  for  those  broncos ;  but  he  had  to  have  the  nags 
to  get  his  command  down  to  Taylor  in  time,"  adding, 
grimly:  "Reckon  many  of  his  boys  will  leave  their 
bones  the  other  side  of  the  Rio  Grande." 

Estrella  is  quite  sure  from  the  tone  of  his  voice  that 
he  hopes  Hampton  will  be  one  of  those  doomed  to 
death. 

But  Jasper  here  startles  both  his  companions  by  re 
marking:  "Jim,  did  you  see  that  long-legged  Ranger 
squinting  at  you  for  the  last  ten  minutes  you  were  fix 
ing  up  the  horse  trade  with  Hays?" 

"Not  Sharpe  Hampton?"  asks  Godfrey,  uneasily. 
And  Estrella,  exhibiting  no  surprise  at  his  words,  he 
glances  at  her,  but  she  is  too  interested  in  Jasper's  com 
munication  to  notice  this. 

Moncton  answers  easily :  "No,  it  wasn't  the  Cap 
tain  ;  I  know  him  by  sight.  It  was  a  slim,  crazy-eyed 
fellow  in  buckskin,  who  looked  at  you  as  if  you  had 


THE   SPY   CO.MPAXY.  215 

made  him  a  little  more  limy  than  usual.  I  was  going 
to  tell  you  about  him,  but  didn't  like  to  interrupt  when 
you  were  getting  such  a  long  price  for  the  horses  from 
the  Texan  Colonel.  Some  of  the  boys  in  the  saloon 
called  him  Wild  Harry !" 

"Wild  Harry!  Why,  I — I  thought  he  was  with 
Hampton's  company  down  at  Matamoras !"  stammers 
Godfrey.  His  voice  is  husky.  Despite  the  darkness, 
Estrella  can  see  him  sway  in  his  seat.  She  is  not  sur 
prised  that  under  the  plea  of  cinching  up  his  saddle 
Godfrey  lets  her  ride  ahead  while  he  and  Jasper  go 
into  quite  a  long,  muttered  conversation. 

In  it  apparently  Moncton  learns  something  that  im 
presses  him  also ;  when  the  two  men  overtake  the  young 
lady  neither  seems  in  such  high  spirits  as  before. 

.This  gives  her  suspicions  greater  strength.  Miss 
Godfrey  now  makes  up  her  mind  not  to  mention  her 
promise  to  Hampton.  "Why  should  I  sue — blushing, 
trembling  and  embarrassed — for  a  father's  blessing  un 
til  I  am  sure  he  has  a  father's  authority  and  love?" 
she  thinks  cogently,  and  is  quite  relieved  at  postponing 
an  ordeal  that  even  in  her  sweetheart's  arms  had  made 
her  cold  with  apprehension. 

So,  taking  it  rather  leisurely,  after  a  long  ride 
through  the  darkness  they  reach  the  hacienda  of  Live 
Oaks  some  time  after  midnight,  to  be  ushered  in  by 
Zelma,  who  has  supper  on  the  table  awaiting  them. 

As  Estrella  avoiding  Moncton's  attentions,  hastily 
slips  off  her  horse,  she  is  no  more  the  girl  who  yester 
day  had  left  this  place  drooping  under  a  father's  en 
treaties  that  it  almost  breaks  her  heart  to  deny,  nor  a 
bashful  maiden,  trembling  at  the  wooing  of  a  man  she 
loathes ;  but  a  woman  determined  to  give  herself  to  the 
man  she  loves,  and  to  make  sure  the  man  assuming  a 
father's  station  to  her  has  a  parent's  authority  over  her 
before  she  asks  his  blessing. 


2l6  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

Even  as  she  dismounts  Estrella  shows  how  care 
fully  she  has  considered  her  position.  If  Godfrey  has 
purloined  the  picture,  her  not  mentioning  her  loss  will 
make  him  suspicious.  As  soon  as  she  is  in  the  door 
way  of  the  house,  and  standing  in  the  light,  she  says, 
her  fragile  hand  playing  nervously  with  her  locket : 
"Papa" — the  word  comes  very  hard  to  her  tongue 
now — "I  hope  you  won't  be  very  angry  at  me,  but  in 
San  Antonio  I  discovered  I  had  lost  the  picture  from 
my  locket.  It  must  have  fallen  out  while  I  was  gal 
loping  so  recklessly  into  the  town."  The  languor  and 
great  exhaustion  of  the  long  ride  make  her  eyes 
tranquil,  but  they  are  bright  enough  to  notice  that  at 
mention  of  the  locket  a  sudden  anxiety  has  flown  into 
both  men's  faces,  indicating  that  they  have  discussed 
the  trinket.  Her  careless  words  apparently  bring  re 
lief  to  them,  for  Moncton  asks,  nonchalantly :  "What 
locket?"  and  Godfrey  cries  heartily:  "Shucks,  don't 
bother  about  it.  I'll  give  you  my  picture  to  put  in 
that  fol-de-rol  on  your  wedding  day,  daughter.  Do 
the  polite  to  her,  Jasper,  and  tote  your  sweetheart  in  to 
supper!" 

Estrella,  embarrassed  at  the  words,  has  tact  enough 
to  refuse  her  suitor's  escort  to  the  table  on  the 
ground  of  extreme  fatigue,  and  to  permit,  though  she 
winces  under  it,  a  paternal  salute  on  her  white  fore 
head  from  Godfrey.  So,  leaving  the  two  gentlemen 
to  smoke  their  cigars  and  drink  their  whiskey  together, 
the  girl  goes  wearily  but  hastily  up  to  her  chamber. 
Here,  fortunately,  the  great  joy  of  approaching  nup 
tials  almost  obliterates  the  miserable  uncertainty  of 
her  position.  But  after  a  little,  exhausted  by  her  long, 
journey,  nature  claims  its  meed,  rest  comes  to  her,  and, 
despite  excitement,  she  has  the  blessing  of  a  dreamless 
sleep. 

Awakening  early  in  the  forenoon,  a  sweetheart's  rap- 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  2iy 

ture  thrills  her,  and  she  whispers  to  herself,  longingly : 
"This  evening  Sharpe  comes  to  tell  papa."  Then,  full 
recollection  smiting  her,  she  moans  to  herself :  "How 
to  discover,  for  I  will  discover!  I'll  ask  no  father's 
blessing  on  my  nuptials  till  I  know !" 

Pondering  on  this,  an  unutterable  horror  crushes 
her;  she  shudders:  "If — if  he  is  not  my  father,  per 
haps  he  killed  my  father!"  but  finally  puts  that  idea 
away,  Hampton's  report  of  the  Rock  Springs  fight 
showing  there  was  no  need  of  murder  to  produce  death 
in  that  dread  affair. 

Forcing  herself  to  calmness,  the  young  lady  goes 
downstairs  and  soon  discovers  things  that  add  to  her 
suspicion.  To  her  relief,  her  father  and  Moncton  have 
been  long  away  on  the  business  of  getting  the  big  bands 
of  horses  driven  in  from  the  prairie  and  the  proper 
nags  selected  for  delivery  to  the  impatient  Ranger 
Colonel. 

Miss  Godfrey  is  waited  on  at  breakfast  by  the  octo 
roon.  Toward  the  end  of  the  meal,  chancing  to  men 
tion  the  loss  of  her  picture  rather  nonchalantly,  as  if  it 
were  but  a  matter  of  passing  moment,  Estrella  is  aston 
ished  to  see  her  maid's  eyes  grow  apologetic  and  her 
manner  greatly  confused.  "Come  with  me  to  my  room, 
Zelma,"  the  mistress  says,  assuming  indifference  as  she 
places  her  coffee  cup  on  the  table,  "and  let  us  see  if  we 
cannot  find  that  portrait  together.  It  possibly  dropped 
out  of  the  locket  before  I  left  for  San  Antonio." 

As  they  go  upstairs  her  attendant  gives  Miss  God 
frey  a  shock  ;  she  says,  with  equal  carelessness :  "What 
makes  you  and  your  father  both  so  brisk  about  that 
picture?" 

Estrella  for  the  moment  is  too  startled  to  reply  to 
this ;  but  in  her  room  her  suspicions  become  more  vivid 
as  she  notes  that  her  maid's  examination  of  her  cham 
ber  is  entirely  perfunctory.  Inspiration  smiting  the 


2l8  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

mistress,  she  suddenly  cries :  "Zelma,  you  know  where 
that  miniature  is !" 

"Miss  'Strella,  what — what  makes  you  think  that?" 
stammers  the  octoroon. 

"Why,  because  you're  not  looking  for  it.  If  you've 
carelessly  lost  this  portrait  from  the  locket,  confess  it 
to  me  and  I  promise  pardon." 

But  the  girl,  who  is  trembling  now,  not  answering 
her,  the  mistress  cannot  help  imploring:  "It — it  is  a 
picture  of  my  mother's  brother.  I  don't  want  to  lose 
it.  Tell  me  about  it.  Have  I  not  always  been  good 
to  you,  Zelma?"  and  so  finally  works  upon  the  feel 
ings  of  her  attendant  that  she  sobs  miserably  :  "Don't 
ask  me,  Miss  'Strella ;  don't  ask  me !  If  I  told  you  I'd 
be  skinned  alive !" 

"Ah,  no  doubt  you  would!"  assents  Estrella.  She 
is  now  sure  that  her  maid  either  took  the  portrait 
by  Godfrey's  orders  or  had  seen  him  purloin  it 
and  been  warned  to  keep  a  silent  tongue.  She  breaks 
out  in  anger,  half  simulated,  half  real :  "You  care 
lessly  have  lost  it.  That's  the  reason  you  dare  not  open 
your  lips  to  me.  But  I  shan't  tell  my  father  about  it 
because  he'd  punish  you  terribly.  Though  I  shall  pun 
ish  you  myself."  She  takes  the  young  woman  to  the 
sewing  room,  gives  her  a  big  lot  of  sewing,  and  com 
mands  :  "Don't  dare  to  stir  from  here  until  this  is 
finished !"  but  to  make  very  sure,  locks  the  culprit  in. 

Coming  out  of  the  room,  she  thinks :  "Alone  for 
hours !"  With  the  exception  of  old  Dinah,  the  cook, 
she  and  Zelma.  are  the  only  inmates  of  the  house.  Di 
nah  never  leaves  the  kitchen ;  it  is  quite  certain  that 
Moncton  and  Godfrey  will  not  return  till  evening  from 
the  corrals.  She  thinks  desperately :  "I'll  search  his 
room  and  get  that  picture." 

Whereupon,  safe  from  Zelma's  eyes,  she  goes  cau 
tiously  into  what  she  had  once  called  her  father's  bed- 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  2 19 

room  and  investigates  his  wardrobe  and  his  desk. 
This  is  a  simple  matter.  The  frontier  planter's  clothes 
are  few,  and  his  plain  deal  desk  has  but  a  country  lock, 
the  key  of  which  is  in  it. 

Carefully  examining  the  pockets  of  his  clothes,  she 
finds  nothing  of  importance  in  these ;  next  she  inspects 
the  papers  in  his  desk,  which  are  not  very  numerous, 
most  of  his  business  documents  being  at  the  house  he 
calls  his  office,  but  does  not  find  the  portrait.  Though 
looking  over  the  last  package  of  papers,  tucked  away 
in  an  envelope,  something  meets  her  eyes  that  makes 
Estrella  utter  a  shriek  of  rage.  It  is  the  letter  she  had 
written  to  Hampton. 

This  increases  her  determination  to  discover  whether 
this  man,  who  has  assumed  a  father's  authority  over 
her,  is  really  entitled  to  her  love,  duty  and  obedience. 
She  must  know  that;  she  will  know  that!  She  mur 
murs  to  herself:  "Oh,  God,  I  loved  him  so!"  But 
the  letter  in  her  hand  makes  her  add  bitterly:  "He 
wasn't  very  merciful  to  me."  Thinking  of  the  picture, 
she  cries  to  herself :  "The  face  smiled  at  me  from  the 
past!  'Twas  a  recollection  of  childhood.  I  can  see 
the  dear  eyes  now.  I  will  see  again  that  picture!" 
Yet  search  how  she  will,  and  she  seeks  it  m  careless, 
reckless  eagerness,  she  cannot  find  the  miniature. 
Finally,  concluding  that  the  portrait  must  have  been 
destroyed,  she  desperately  determines :  "There  is  one 
living  witness  who  can  say  from  his  own  eyes :  'This 
Jim  Godfrey  was  Jim  Godfrey  before  the  fight  at  Rock 
Springs,  and  is — your  father!'  I'll  send  for  Harry 
Love  and  bring  them  face  to  face !" 

She  writes  a  hurried  note,  orders  her  mare  saddled, 
and  rides  off  to  the  cabin  of  a  hunter  a  little  way  up 
the  San  Antonio  trail,  where  for  a  few  dollars  she 
knows  she  can  get  a  Mexican  to  speed  with  the  mes 
sage  that  very  day  into  the  Pueblo  town.  She  is  alto- 


220  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

gather  too  experienced  now  to  trust  the  letter  to  an 
ox  team. 

But  even  in  the  act  of  dismounting  at  the  hunter's 
cabin  a  sharp-eyed,  brown-skinned  muchacho  comes 
spurring  down  the  San  Antonio  trail,  and,  putting 
his  cunning  glance  on  her,  promptly  pulls  up  his  mus 
tang  and,  edging  alongside  of  her,  whispers :  "Pron 
to,  aqui  Dona  Yankee!"  and  passes  to  her  astonished 
but  eager  hand  a  thumb- worn  and  dirty  slip  of  paper. 

For  a  second  she  thinks  it  is  some  message  from 
Hampton,  but  starts  as  she  deciphers  in  half-printed, 
illiterate  script: 

"I've  dropt  on  what  nocked  yer  sensus  out  of  ye.  Yer 
guessed  it !  Down  ter  night  with  ividence.  Until  then  keep 
mum  as  ye  love  yer  life. 

"KuTE  HARRY." 

As  its  full  import  smites  her,  the  delicate  girl  almost 
falls  from  her  horse.  Her  mighty  suspicion  has  be 
come  a  crushing  and  appalling  certainty.  She  reels  in 
her  saddle,  and  mutters  to  herself:  "Orphaned!" 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

NIGHT   ON    THE   LONE   PLANTATION. 

Before  Estrella  can  collect  her  senses,  the  Mexican 
boy,  apparently  instructed,  with  a  whispered  "Guarda!" 
has  ridden  off.  For  a  moment  she  is  carried  back  into 
the  past  and  sees  the  dying  man  by  the  desert  spring, 
and  her  brown  eyes  grow  full  of  tears  at  thought  of 
her  dead  father. 

Then  her  cruel  situation  forces  the  present  on  her. 
She  had  given  this  man  called  Godfrey  a  daughter's 
tender  affection  and  loving  kisses,  and  she  feels  a  big 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  221 

hole  is  in  her  heart.  Fortunately,  Harry's  missive 
eradicates  a  good  deal  of  this  sentiment. 

As  she  re-reads  Love's  scrawl  the  letters  that  are  dim 
to  her  teary  eyes  grow  very  big  in  awful  warning. 
"Keep  mum  as  ye  love  yer  life!"  Until  this  time  per 
sonal  danger  had  not  been  in  the  girl's  mind,  but  now 
it  looms  up  and  confronts  her.  She  looks  on  the  great 
estate  this  man  has  usurped  from  her,  and  thinks  in 
quick  discernment :  "After  he  has  slaved  for  it  these 
many  years,  this  man  will  do  anything  to  keep  it.  That 
is  why  he  wanted  me  to  marry  Moncton ;  then  he'd  be 
safe  from  me."  Pondering  over  the  matter,  she  makes 
a  wild  guess  that  Jasper  had  discovered  her  putative 
father's  secret,  and  so  had  gained  sufficient  power  over 
him  to  force  him  to  divide  the  spoils.  "This  man  had 
to  take  me  as  his  daughter  to  be  Jim  Godfrey  and  have 
title  to  my  dead  father's  gold  that  he  dug  up  from  the 
ruined  hacienda,  and  these  miles  and  miles  of  land  fer 
tile  as  God's  gardens,"  she  mutters;  then  jeers  bitterly : 
"And  now  he  would  make  me  the  bride  of  his  accom 
plice,  and  so  render  me  forever  helpless  and  seal  my 
lips  eternally  by  wifely  pride  and  wifely  duty." 

She  gazes  at  the  herds  of  cattle  and  bands  of  horses 
and  gangs  of  toiling  negroes,  and  utters,  significantly : 
"It  is  a  principality  worth  fighting  for.  For  all  this  is 
mine  and" — the  sweet  accents  of  devoted  love  com 
ing  into  her  voice — "and  Sharpe's !" 

From  this  reverie  she  is  startled  by  a  voice  at  her 
side.  The  man  whom  she  had  called  father,  riding  up 
to  her,  says,  authoritatively:  "Daughter,  I  saw  you 
from  the  field.  You  got  a  note  from  that  Mexican 
boy."  Her  agitated  face  answers  him  ;  he  commands  : 
"Let  me  see  it !" 

But  under  an  instinctive  touch  of  the  spur  the  agile 
Mulefoot  bounds  away,  and  before  Estrella  is  overtaken 
by  her  surprised  mentor  she  has  wrapped  the  paper  up 


222  THE    SPY    COMPANY. 

with  three  lucifer  matches,  that  after  the  manner  of 
the  prairie  she  carries  with  her,  and  has  ignited  them 
on  the  pommel  of  her  saddle.  With  her  pursuer's 
hand  upon  her  arm,  she  laughs  as  the  tinder  floats  away 
from  her  on  the  breeze,  and  feels  for  the  moment  that 
she  is  safe. 

Fortunately,  Godfrey  takes  for  granted  from  whom 
the  note  has  been  received,  and  commands  tersely : 
"You  come  right  home  with  me !" 

Resistance  would  be  useless,  even  if  she  cared  just 
now  to  defy  him.  Miss  Godfrey  turns  Mulefoot  and 
rides  doggedly  beside  him,  and  so  enters  the  big 
patio,  where,  slipping  from  the  side  saddle,  she  stands 
upon  the  threshold  of  the  house  confronting  him. 

Godfrey  doesn't  get  off  his  horse  or  the  crisis  might 
have  come  immediately.  Still  mounted,  looking  down 
at  the  girl  as  she  makes  a  beautiful  picture  in  her  riding 
habit,  her  face  flushed,  her  eyes  rebellious,  he  says, 
sternly :  "Ever  since  last  night,  daughter,  I've  noticed 
you've  acted  kind  of  queer ;"  then  questions  sharply : 
"You  have  met  against  my  orders  Captain  Hampton  in 
San  Antonio?" 

She  turns  her  face  haughtily  to  his  and  answers 
shortly :  "Yes." 

"Very  well.  You  remember  I  told  you  I'd  punish 
you  if  you  ever  had  anything  more  to  do  with  him. 
If  you  have  lost  your  pride,  by  the  Eternal,  I  haven't 
lost  my  pride  as  your  father !'' 

Despite  herself,  the  young  lady  cannot  restrain  a 
mocking,  sneering  laugh.  It  doesn't  make  her  mentor 
more  tender  to  her.  He  continues :  "Now  you  go 
right  up  to  your  room  and  stay  there  till  I  let  you  leave 
it.  I'm  too  busy  now,  but  to-morrow,  unless  you  do 
what  I  tell  you,  I'll  tend  to  you  frontier  fashion." 

But  yesterday  the  girl  would  have  been  grieved  at  his 
condemnation  and  grown  tearful  at  his  reproof.  Now 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  223 

his  threat  eradicates  her  last  tender  feeling  for  him ; 
with  every  vein  in  her  body  throbbing  with  indigna 
tion  at  his  assumed  parental  authority,  she  bites  her 
lips  to  restrain  the  angry,  defiant  words. 

A  moment  after  she  answers  haughtily,  yet  resigned 
ly  :  "Yes,  sir !"  and  goes  up  to  her  chamber  quite  con 
tent  to  get  from  his  company,  for  she  sees  enough  in 
his  face  to  make  it  certain  that  a  rash  word  might  now 
put  great  danger  upon  her.  Recollecting  that  to-night 
she  will  have  Wild  Harry's  evidence  to  make  her  defy 
any  interference  by  this  man  with  her  coming  marriage, 
she  laughs  to  herself  savagely :  "It  is  he  who  shall 
beg  my  mercy ;  not  I,  his !"  and  strides  her  room  like 
an  indignant  Juno. 

Soon  tenderer  and  happier  thoughts  possess  her. 
She  remembers  that  this  evening  she  will  have  at  her 
side  a  man  capable  of  protecting  her  from  everything 
save  the  violence  of  her  own  love,  and  reflecting  that 
in  two  days  she  is  to  be  a  bride,  occupies  herself  pleas 
antly  by  packing  a  trunk  for  a  simple  honeymoon  out 
ing. 

During  this,  towards  evening,  she  is  somewhat  star 
tled  by  hearing  the  man  called  Godfrey  crying  out  from 
his  bedroom,  rather  nervously  and  astoundedly :  "Jas 
per,  the  devil's  up !  Someone's  been  searching  all  my 
things !"  His  hurried  steps  tell  of  agitation  as  he  runs 
down  the  stairs  apparently  to  seek  conference  with  his 
coadjutor. 

A  little  later,  probably  urged  by  Moncton,  who 
wishes  to  see  the  woman  whose  beauty  grows  to  him 
more  tempting  with  her  coldness,  Godfrey  sends  Zel- 
ma  to  the  young  lady's  chamber  and  desires  she  shall 
be  at  the  supper  table.  "And  master  told  me,"  pleads 
the  maid,  anxiously,  "to  make  you  look  your  best,  Miss 
'Strella." 

"Make  me  look  my  best !     Well,  I  should  think  so!" 


224  .HIE   SPY   COMPANY. 

cries  Estrella.  And,  remembering  she  is  being  decked 
to  meet  her  affianced  husband,  she  selects  for  this  sum 
mer  evening  an  exquisite  light  frock  of  pure  white  mus 
lin  trimmed  with  simple  ribbons. 

Filled  with  sweetheart's  bashful  thoughts,  under  the 
octoroon's  anxious  attentions,  the  tears,  and  she  has 
shed  many  of  them  this  day,  are  washed  from  her 
cheeks,  and  she  soon  becomes  as  fresh  and  dainty  as 
a  rosebud.  On  her  face  is  expectant  happiness  and 
hope  as  she  sweeps  down  to  astonish  with  her  beauty 
the  two  men  waiting  for  her  below,  and  take  her  place 
at  what  she  had  once  been  very  happy  to  call  her 
father's  table. 

Then  a  curious,  nervous  meal  goes  on. 

Though  the  conversation  of  Moncton  and  Godfrey 
is  chiefly  over  coining  crops  and  the  horses  they  have 
sent  off  to  San  Antonio  for  the  Ranger  Colonel,  there 
is  a  current  of  uneasiness  apparent  in  their  voices,  and 
Estrella  starts  as  she  notes  in  the  faces  of  these  men 
some  project  not  as  yet  developed.  This  nervous  tension 
quickly  affects  the  octoroon,  who,  dressed  like  a  prim 
French  maid,  is  waiting  on  them.  Zelma's  pearl-like 
complexion  becomes  pale  as  delicate  china,  and  her 
plump  white  arms  bared  to  the  elbows  for  table  at 
tendance  quiver  as  she  arranges  the  dessert;  for  God 
frey,  after  remarking  that  some  one  has  been  sneak 
ing  about  his  bedroom,  suddenly  asks  the  attendant  in 
terrible  voice :  "Wench,  have  you  been  rummaging 
my  desk  trying  to  find  something  to  steal?"  next 
chuckles :  "By  jinks,  you  look  guilty ;  your  legs  are 
shaking  under  you  as  if  you  had  the  fever  and  ague !" 
the  short  skirt  of  the  young  woman  making  this  easily 
apparent. 

With  her  tongue  almost  cleaving  to  the  roof  of 
her  mouth,  Zelma  answers  in  low,  broken  voice :  "No, 
Mr.  Godfrey,  as  God  is  my  judge!" 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  225 

"Reckon  you'll  find  I'm  the  only  judge  about  here!" 
jeers  the  old  man,  blasphemously.  Apparently  he  has 
been  bracing  his  nerves  for  some  active  measure  by 
afternoon  libations. 

But  the  attentions  of  Jasper  Moncton,  who.  towards 
the  close  of  the  meal  has  drawn  his  chair  quite  close 
to  Miss  Godfrey's,  the  confident  smile  upon  his  suave 
face  and  the  possessive  manner  in  which  he  would  put 
his  arm  around  her  tempting  waist,  though  she  repels 
him  both  with  eyes  and  hands,  do  not  permit  Estrella 
to  think  very  much  about  this  matter.  Her  diffidence 
and  coyness  now  seemingly  annoy  the  man  who  calls 
himself  her  father.  In  his  eye  comes  a  determination  to 
force  this  fragile  beauty,  who  had  once  been  so  pliable 
in  her  daughterly  love,  to  do  his  will. 

As  he  smokes  he  speaks,  saying  rather  nervously 
between  puffs  of  his  cigar :  "Jasper  has  been, begging 
you  off  again,  'Strella ;  I  have  concluded  to  forget  your 
disobedience  if  you  do  my  bidding,  daughter." 

"And  what  is  that?"  asks  the  young  lady,  struggling 
to  control  her  temper. 

"Why,  you  just  agree  to  marry  Jasper,  as  you  know 
are  my  wishes,  and  I'll  excuse  you  just  this  once  for 
running  after  that  Ranger  Captain." 

"That  I  shall  never  do!"  answers  Estrella,  and,  rising 
haughtily,  sweeps  out  of  the  room  and  goes  to  her 
chamber,  because  she  is  afraid  of  letting  her  tongue 
disclose  too  much. 

Here  she  thinks  pertinently  :  "An  hour  or  two  more 
and  Hampton  will  come,  and  then — then  I'll  speak !" 

But  this  inaction  is  not  to  be  permitted  to  her.  A 
few  minutes  after  Zelma  comes  trembling  into  her 
chamber  and  shudders :  "For  God's  sake,  Miss  'Strel 
la,  protect  me.  You  said  you  would — when  I  came 
here  and  gave  up  my  liberty  to  be  with  you,  you  said 
you  would." 


226  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

"What  do  you  mean  ?" 

"Oh,  this.  They're  accusing  me  of  breaking  open 
and  searching  master's  desk  to  find  something  to  steal. 
God  help  me,  they've — they've  been  drinking!"  and 
even  in  the  gloom  the  octoroon's  eyes  flash  wild  with 
terror.  "They  have  told  me  that — that  I  am  to  go 
down  to  master's  office  to  be  whipped.  Miss  'Strella, 
think  of  that — whipped  because  I've  been  rummaging 
master's  desk  trying  to  find  something  to  steal !" 

"That  you  shall  never  be !"  Miss  Godfrey's  voice  is 
cold,  though  her  heart  is  throbbing  as  if  it  would  break 
through  the  corsage  that  confines  it.  She  knows  now 
that  to  save  the  unfortunate  Zelma  she  must  tell  of  in 
vestigating  Godfrey's  desk.  To  give  the  real  reason 
for  her  act,  instinct  warns  her  may  put  danger  even 
on  her  life.  She  tries  to  invent  some  other  plausible 
excuse  or  motive  to  render  to  this  man,  muttering  ner 
vously  to  herself:  "If  Hampton  would  but  come!" 

But  she  must  act  quickly !  Godfrey  has  called  from 
below :  "Come  along,  you  thieving  wench ;  I'll  teach 
you  to  sneak  about  my  papers !"  and  Zelma  has  trem 
blingly  run  down  to  him.  Some  remarks  about  "go 
ing  light  on  the  girl  and  not  spoiling  her  beauty  for  the 
New  Orleans  market"  float  up  the  stairway,  to  horrify 
Miss  Godfrey. 

As  the  sobs  of  the  victim  die  away  the  mistress  cries 
mentally :  "Zelma  shall  not  be  punished  for  my  act !" 
Taking  a  piece  of  paper,  she  hastily  writes  on  it : 
"Find  me  at  the  office."  With  this  in  her  hand  she 
runs  downstairs  and  leaves  it  on  the  dining-room  table 
for  Hampton's  eye  in  case  he  should  come  during  her 
absence. 

Then,  reckless  of  everything  but  her  errand  of  mercy, 
Miss  Godfrey  issues  from  the  house  and  follows  the 
two  men,  who  have  already  led  their  victim  out  of  the 
big  patio  and  are  well  on  their  way  down  the  road  to 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  227 

Godfrey's  office.  She  has  forgotten  coming  sweet 
heart  ;  obliterated  from  mind  is  Harry's  promised  evi 
dence;  likewise  is  even  banished  the  danger  that  she 
may  bring  upon  herself,  if  by  any  inadvertence  she  dis 
closes  that  she  knows  she  is  not  this  man's  daughter, 
as  picking  up  her  dainty  skirts  Estrella  flits  with  light 
feet  through  the  road  made  dusty  by  wagon  teams  from 
Matagorda  and  stands  before  the  rough  one-story 
adobe  building  called  Godfrey's  office.  She  has  scarce 
ly  ever  been  in  the  place,  having  had  a  kind  of  horror 
of  it,  because  she  knows  that  sometimes  slaves  con 
nected  with  household  or  stables  are  punished  in  its 
rear  room,  the  regular  whipping  post  of  the  plantation 
being  down  among  the  distant  negro  quarters. 

Its  floor  being  raised  but  little  over  the  surrounding 
prairie,  the  windows  of  the  building  are  scarce  two 
feet  above  the  path  outside.  The  night  being  warm, 
these  are  wide  open,  and  she  glances  into  the  front 
room. 

At  one  side  of  it  is  a  small  iron  safe  for  papers  con 
nected  with  the  plantation.  Several  ledgers  and  a 
well-thumbed  memorandum  book  lie  on  its  unplaned 
deal  table ;  from  this  a  couple  of  candles  in  tin  candle 
sticks  emit  a  subdued,  flickering  light.  Both  Godfrey 
and  Moncton  are  seated  on  rough,  wooden  chairs  in 
careless  poses,  the  evening  being  very  sultry,  smok 
ing  their  cigars  nonchalantly,  and  comfortably  drinking 
their  whiskey  from  a  bottle  and  glasses  already  placed 
upon  the  table. 

Estrella  shudders  as  she  sees  these  men  coolly  taking 
their  ease,  unmindful  of  the  trembling  woman,  who 
apparently  is  in  the  rear  room  preparing  for  her  tor 
ture  ;  for  a  subdued  sobbing  is  heard  through  the  slight 
partition  mingled  with  the  rustle  of  feminine  garments 
being  hastily  removed.  Though  she  is  so  excited  that 
the  whole  scene  seems  blurred  to  her,  her  senses  are 


228  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

so  strained  she  even  notes  the  odor  of  a  honeysuckle 
that  is  climbing  about  the  window  and  that  a  swarm  of 
mosquitoes  and  insects  attracted  from  the  prairie  are 
burning  themselves  to  death  in  the  flames  of  the  can 
dles  on  the  table. 

But,  above  all,  one  thing  impresses  itself  upon  the 
delicate  girl,  the  awful  loneliness  of  the  place.  The 
lights  from  the  negro  quarters  are  very  distant.  The 
nearest  cabin  of  a  frontiersman  or  hunter  is  a  mile 
away.  Only  the  gloom  of  a  summer  night  is  near  to 
her.  She  shudders  as  she  thinks :  "What  aid  is  there 
for  me  from  any  one  here  against  the  acknowledged 
autocrat  of  this  lone  plantation  and  his  overseer?" 
Love's  warning  grows  very  vivid  in  her  mind  as  to 
her  ears  come  these  significant  words  in  Moncton's 
acute  voice:  "Did  you  notice,  Jim,  that  'Strella  has 
never  once  called  you  dad  since  we  came  from  San 
Antonio  ?" 

"Yes,  and  by  the  Lord  Harry  I'm  going  to  find  out 
what  she  means  by  it !"  snarls  Godfrey. 

Here  the  sight  of  a  long,  lithe,  torturing  rawhide 
switch  lying  on  the  table  makes  Estrella  desperately 
lay  her  hand  upon  the  latch. 

As  the  girl  comes  in,  it  is  as  if  a  fairy  were  entering 
the  den  of  ogres,  for  the  whole  place  smells  of  liquor 
and  has  that  rough,  unkempt,  bald  appearance  common 
to  the  frontier  far  from  the  refining  touch  of  woman. 

As  they  see  her  the  triumph  upon  both  men's  faces 
tells  their  visitor  that  her  coming  is  what  they  want; 
though  the  man  whom  she  once  called  father,  hastily 
rising,  asks:  "Daughter,  what's  your  business  here?" 

"To  protect  the  girl  I  brought  with  me  from  New 
York,"  she  answers,  determinedly.  "You  shall  not 
punish  Zelma!" 

"Reckon  a  little'll  do  her  good,"  says  Godfrey.  "She 
deserves  it.  The  wench  has  been  rummaging  about 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  229 

my  desk  trying  to  find  something  to  steal;  unless,"  he 
adds,  significantly,  "some  one  else  did  it." 

This  increases  Estrella's  perturbation.  She  guesses 
that  they  suspect  she  has  been  investigating  Godfrey's 
desk,  and  have  lured  her  here  on  this  errand  of  mercy 
to  coerce  her  by  her  sympathy  with  the  unfortunate 
octoroon  into  confessing  her  act  and  telling  her  reason 
for  it. 

With  a  shudder  she  remembers  Harry's  warning : 
"As  ye  love  yer  life  keep  mum !"  and,  loving  life  very 
much  now,  as  coming  brides  do,  for  one  coward  mo 
ment  she  hesitates. 

But  Godfrey's  action  forces  her  to  generous  reso 
lution.  Picking  up  the  torturing  switch  of  twisted 
rawhide,  he  calls,  savagely :  "Wench,  are  you  ready 
in  there?"  and  a  scream  has  answered  through  the  par 
tition  :  "Master,  for  God's  sake,  spare  me !" 

He  is  stepping  to  the  door,  but  Miss  Godfrey  is  in 
front  of  him.  To  him  she  says,  holding  up  a  white 
hand  in  commanding  gesture :  "You  shall  not  torture 
Zelma!  It  was  I  who  investigated  your  desk!" 

At  this  Moncton  springs  up  with  a  muttered  execra 
tion,  and  the  faces  of  both  men  tell  Estrella  that  they 
fear  she  guesses  some  secret  they  will  protect  with 
their  lives  or — with  her  life.  But  it  only  braces  her 
nerves  and  makes  her  throbbing  brain  more  acute. 

"You  were  going  through  my  desk,"  mutters  God 
frey,  hoarsely,  "to  find  what?"  Though  he  tries  to 
conceal  it,  his  face  is  convulsed  with  both  terror  and 
menace. 

Moncton  himself  has  come  a  little  closer  to  her,  his 
features  full  of  awful  inquiry. 

"To  find  what?"  repeats  the  man  she  had  once 
thought  her  father. 

"This !"  cries  the  girl  in  sudden  inspiration,  and, 
plunging  her  hand  through  the  laces  of  her  corsage, 


230  THE    SPY    COMPANY. 

she  draws  from  her  throbbing  bosom  the  note  she  had 
found.  "This,  my  letter  that  you  intercepted ;  my  mis 
sive  to  Captain  Hampton!" 

At  her  words  immense  relief  ripples  the  faces  of  both 
her  inquisitors. 

"Oh,  Hampton,  the  Comanche  killer !"  sneers  Monc- 
ton,  his  attitude  growing  more  easy,  though  his  face  is 
flushed  with  jealous  rage. 

"Of  course  I  did,"  says  Godfrey  in  fatherly  tones. 
"It  was  my  duty  to  keep  you  from  making  a  lovesick 
fool  of  yourself,  daughter."  He  gives  a  sigh  of  relief, 
sits  down  in  a  chair  and  relights  his  cigar. 

Perhaps  the  awful  denouement  that  is  drawing 
about  them  might  be  averted,  for  Estrella  has  called 
into  the  door  of  the  rear  room  :  "Zelma,  you're  saved. 
Go  back  to  the  house,  poor  girl !"  and  is  herself  step 
ping  to  the  entrance  of  the  building,  anxious  to  get 
away  from  the  two  men  whom  she  now  loathes;  but 
at  this  moment  Moncton,  made  fervid  by  the  ethereal 
beauty  of  this  priestess  of  mercy,  who  looks  in  her 
simple  muslin  frock  exquisite  as  a  sylph,  bars  her 
way,  and  says,  insinuatingly :  "You've  begged 
the  wench  off  from  your  father.  Now  you'll  have  to 
beg  her  off  from  me.  You  see  there  was  a  fellow 
named  Him  Jones  came  up  to  Matagorda  from  Corpus 
Christi,  and  he  didn't  know  I  was  boss  of  this  estate, 
and  got  to  laughing  and  chatting  in  a  barroom  about 
your  octoroon  beauty  who  was  going  to  gallivant  with 
Mr.  Yazoo  Sam.  You  see,  in  old  times  I  knew  Yazoo 
Sam  very  well,  and  he  was  great  at  running  off  nig 
gers.  We "  Jasper  checks  himself  and  continues 

smilingly :  "But  perhaps  you  didn't  notice  your 
wench's  didos.  Reckon  you  were  too  much  taken  up 
with  that  dragoon  fellow,  young  Pelham,  I  believe  his 
name  was.  Him  Jones  was  talking  about  him,  too," 
and,  getting  closer  to  the  lovely  object  of  his  passion, 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  2JI 

whispers :  "You  can  save  the  wench  by  a  single  kiss. 
You  know  how  I  have  loved  you  since  I  saw  you  at 
Saratoga.  Why  don't  you  marry  me  and  make  every 
thing  quiet  and  settled  on  the  plantation?" 

"Yes,  that's  the  ticket,"  breaks  in  Godfrey.  "Marry 
Jasper.  You  know  he's  the  man  I  want  you  to  take. 
Don't  keep  on  your  high  horse!" 

To  this  Miss  Godfrey,  righting  to  restrain  words  that 
may  bring  discovery  upon  her,  says,  coldly :  "I  have 
already  answered  no  to  that  question." 

"Oh,  you  won't  give  me  a  kiss?  Very  well,"  laughs 
Moncton.  "Then  Zelma  shall  sing  a  little  song  to  Mr. 
Yazoo  Sam !"  and  would  step  towards  the  inner  room. 

But  Miss  Godfrey  stands  before  him  and  commands : 
"I  forbid  you  to  lay  a  hand  upon  my  property !" 

''Your  property!  That's  good!"  jeers  Jasper,  arro 
gantly.  "Reckon  you  don't  exactly  understand  your 
position  here !" 

At  this  Godfrey  falters :  "Don't  rile  him,  daughter, 
or  he'll  turn  us  out  paupers  on  the  prairie.  Marry 
him  to  save  your  poor  old  father.  Don't  you  know 
he's  got  a  bill  of  sale  of  everything  on  the  plantation? 
Don't  put  on  city  airs,  child,  you're  only  the  daughter 
of  a  plain  backwoodsman,  anyway !" 

But  this  man's  continually  calling  himself  her  father 
drives  the  girl  frantic.  Forgetting  prudence,  she  cries, 
mockingly :  "A  bill  of  sale  of  my  plantation  from 
you?  Pish,  it's  not  worth  the  paper  it's  written  on!" 

"What  do  you  mean  ?"  This  in  a  whisper  from  both 
men. 

"I  mean  that  you  are  not  Jim  Godfrey,  that  you  are 
not  my  father!"  And  the  daughter  of  a  plain  back 
woodsman  becomes  haughty  as  a  Juno,  the  lights  of  the 
candles  flash  on  her  white  arms  and  panting  bosom, 
the  thought  that  she  had  given  this  wretch  a  daugh 
ter's  kisses,  a  daughter's  love,  makes  her  toss  prudence 


2J2  THE   SPV   COMPANY. 

to  the  winds  and  break  out:  "Interloper!  Liar! 
Usurper!  My  father  died  at  the  Rock  Springs  fight 
ten  years  ago!  Now  both  you  and  your  accomplice 
off  this  plantation,  that  is  MINE  !" 

Even  as  this  leaves  her  lips  she  remembers  Love's 
warning,  and  would  check  her  words,  but  the  actions 
of  the  men  before  her  tell  her  it  is  too  late.  For  God 
frey  has  muttered  with  an  awful  curse :  "By  Heaven, 
she  knows !"  and  Moncton  has  locked  the  door  lead 
ing  to  the  outer  world. 

She  is  alone  with  two  monsters,  who  shock  her  by 
holding  whispered  consultation,  all  the  time  keeping 
their  eyes  upon  her  as  if  they  were  beasts  of  prey  and 
she  was  to  be  their  victim.  She  hears  one  mutter : ' 
"You  fool,  to  make  me  bring  her  from  New  York !" 
and  the  other  answer:  "By  Heaven,  I'll  have  her, 
anyway!"  From  very  force  of  habit  Estrella's  hands 
go  to  the  silken  sash  that  girds  her  slight  waist  seeking 
for  the  Ranger's  pistols,  but  with  a  sigh  she  remem 
bers  she  has  left  the  weapons  in  her  chamber. 

Then  the  two  men  come  to  her  and  smite  her 
with  a  monstrous  proposition.  "Now,  Jim,  to  save  her 
life  she  must  marry  me  right  off!"  says  Moncton. 
shortly. 

"Yes,  marriage  with  you  is  the  only  thing  that  will 
stop  hei  lips  sure,"  mutters  Godfrey;  adding,  in  cruel 
significance :  "except  the  other  thing." 

Here  the  girl  in  her  terror,  for  she  sees  they  mean 
by  "the  other  thing"  her  death,  makes  a  false  step. 
Hoping  to  frighten  them,  she  says,  haughtily  :  "That's 
impossible !  To-morrow  I  marry  Sharpe  Hampton  !" 

At  this  the  two  men  look  at  each  other  wildly.  They 
know  that  if  she  has  promised  herself  to  Hampton 
neither  man  nor  devil  will  keep  the  Ranger  from  com 
ing  bride.  Driven  desperate.  Godfrey  remarks,  husk 
ily:  "So  much  the  more  reason  you  marry  Jasper 
now!" 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  233 

"Yes,  mating  with  me  is  the,  trick  that  will  stop  her 
gabbing!"  cries  Moncton,  adding,  with  saturnine  acute- 
ness,  "and  stop  Sharpe  Hampton,  too!" 

"Stop  Sharpe  Hampton  from  making  me  his  wife 
when  he  loves  me?"  jeers  Estrella.  "Stop  him  when 
he  says  I  am  his  sun  in  heaven  ?  Stop  him " 

But  Moncton's  crafty  rejoinder  paralyzes  her  white 
lips.  "You  can  stop  him  mighty  quick!"  he  says, 
suavely.  "When  you're  bone  of  my  bone  and  flesh  of 
my  flesh,  the  Ranger  Captain's  too  high-stomached  a 
fellow  to  take  such  a  jilting.  He'll  keep  away  from 
you  as  if  you  were  poison  and  ask  no  questions."  To 
this  he  adds  in  words  that  seem  like  blows  upon  the 
threatened  one's  heart :  "You  have  got  to  marry  me 
or  be  buried  before  morning!" 

"Don't  you  see,  fool,  that  it  is  the  only  thing  that 
can  save  your  life?"  whispers  the  man  called  Godfrey. 
"We  daren't  let  you  live.  Do  you  suppose  that  I'm 
going  to  be  thrown  out  of  wealth  and  possessions  that 
have  grown  in  my  hands  all  these  years  and  be  twisted 
from  a  nabob  into  an  outcast  pauper  in  a  second  ?" 

"I'll — I'll  deed  you  my  property !"  screams  the  fright 
ened  girl,  "only  let  me  go !" 

"Shucks,  a  deed  under  these  circumstances  wouldn't 
be  worth  a  cent !"  says  Moncton.  "Besides,  I  want 
you!  I  haven't  dreamt  of  your  loveliness  and  hun 
gered  for  your  caresses  these  two  years  to  give  'em 
up  now !  You've  got  to  give  in,  my  beauty,  and  be 
come  my  wife  right  off !" 

Then  the  room  grows  red  with  horror  to  the  victim's 
eyes  as  Godfrey  says,  huskily,  as  if  ashamed  of  his 
own  words :  "There's  a  nigger  parson  down  at  the 
quarters  can  do  the  business  good  enough  in  five  min 
utes.  Your  being  Jasper's  flesh  and  blood  will  keep 
your  lips  shut  forever.  You  have  got  to  be  Jasper's 
right  now  or  die  right  here!" 


234  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

For  a  second  the  horror  of  her  position  is  hardly 
real  to  the  half  fainting  girl,  but  the  proposed  bride 
groom's  eyes  lighting  up  in  unholy  rapture  at  the 
loveliness  he  thinks  already  in  his  arms,  makes  Estrella 
a  goddess  of  purity  assailed  by  shame. 

Her  face,  cheeks  and  bosom  grow  red  as  fire,  then 
pale  as  the  death  that  she  elects.  She  says  simply : 
"You  can  kill  me,  but  I  live  Sharpe  Hampton's !"  next 
raises  her  voice  and  cries  desperately :  "Help ! 
Hampton,  help !  I  need  you !" 

"Quit  screaming  or  we've  got  to  kill  you !"  mutters 
Godfrey.  Already  he  has  one  hand  upon  her  white 
throat  and  seems  to  be  raising  the  other  to  strike  her 
senseless. 

Again  the  sweet  young  voice  rings  through  the  still 
night  air :  "Hampton !  Sharpe !  Save  me !" 

Then,  even  as  her  senses  become  dull  and  the  scene 
sways  mistily  before  her  eyes,  the  angel  of  death  de 
scends  and  protects  this  maiden  from  two  satyrs. 

On  the  trail  outside  two  sharp  revolver  cracks  ring 
out  so  rapidly  they  make  almost  one  report.  The  man 
who  had  called  himself  Miss  Godfrey's  father  falls 
upon  the  swooning  girl,  and  the  other,  his  accomplice, 

is  a  dead  body  ere  he  reaches  the  bloody  floor. 

******* 

A  few  minutes  later  Estrella  finds  herself  lying 
in  a  chair,  her  face  wet  and  herself  being  brought  to 
her  senses  by  kindly  slappings  of  her  hands  and  shoul 
ders.  She  says,  dreamily,  though  there  is  a  strange 
interrogation  in  her  voice :  "Did  you  put  me  in  this 
chair?" 

"No,  I  found  ye  there,"  answers  Mr.  Love,  aston 
ished  admiration  making  his  wild  eyes  very  big. 

But  she,  staring  about  and  seeing  blood  upon  her 
dress  and  the  bodies  lying  on  the  floor,  springs  up  and 
shudders  :  "Who  killed  these  men  ?" 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  235 

"Shucks,  don't  git  frightened,  girl,  after  ye've  tit 
the  scrimmage,"  says  Wild  Harry,  reassuringly.  "Yer 
did  it  fine.  That  feller  over  there  was  plugged  straight 
between  the  eyes,"  he  points  to  Moncton,  "and  this 
cadoodler  ain't  got  many  breaths  in  his  body."  He 
indicates  her  putative  father.  "Don't  take  on  so;  they 
desarved  it.  Reckon  'dad'  got  onto  yer  knowing  he 
wasn't  'dad'  a  leetle  before  I  got  down,  and  then  yer 
gave  it  to  'em  straight.  Hampton  taught  yer  to  shoot 
the  pistol,  didn't  he?  I'd  have  done  it  myself  if  I'd 
have  been  here." 

At  this  Estrella  asks  in  astounded  voice :  "And  you 
didn't  shoot  them?" 

"No  such  luck,"  answers  Love ;  then  mutters : 
"What  do  yer  want  to  possum  it  on  me  fer?  Ye  must 
have  shot  'em !  But  I'll  make  everything  safe  for  ye. 
A  coroner's  jury '11  soon  bring  in  a  verdict  of  'served 
'em  right'  when  I'm  yer  witness." 

These  last  words  are  interrupted  by  a  moaning  plea 
for  water  from  the  man  called  Godfrey. 

Estrella  cannot  forget  that  she  once  held  daughter's 
love  for  this  man,  and  her  quick  hands  pour  the  liquid 
between  his  ashen  lips  and  try  to  soothe  the  passing 
of  his  spirit. 

On  this  Love  breaks  in,  saying,  sternly:  "Roger 
Norton,  the  best  thing  you  can  do  with  your  last  few 
breathin's  is  to  square  yourself  by  telling  all  about  it." 

"Roger  Norton!  Is  that  your  name?"  cries  'Strella, 
and  looks  curiously  at  the  dying  man. 

"I  recognized  ye  as  soon  as  I  put  eyes  on  ye,  Roger 
Norton,"  says  Wild  Harry,  "Ye  were  her  dad's  clerk 
who  went  up  with  him  on  his  hunt  for  the  Gran  Que- 
vira,  and  thus  escaped  massacre  down  here.  Ye 
thought  ye'd  take  Jim  Godfrey's  place,  seein'  every  one 
was  dead,  and  so  to  seize  on  the  plantation  ye  lassed 
the  daughter.  That's  about  straight,  isn't  it?" 


236  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

"Yes,"  gasps  the  man,  "there — there  isn't  much  to 
tell." 

"But  still,"  commands  Love,  "ye  put  it  down  on 
paper,  Strella ;  writin'  always  makes  things  easy." 

And  the  girl,  sitting  at  the  deal  table,  inscribes  hur 
riedly  the  tale  the  wounded  man  in  low  voice  gasps 
out: 

"I — I  saw  a  big  chance  with  everybody  dead  who 
knew  Godfrey  in  these  parts,  and  I — I  took  it.  I  be 
came  Jim  Godfrey.  Twasn't  so  hard  for  six  years. 
No  one  ever  came  round  this  place  but  new  emigrants, 
new  niggers  and  Indians  and  Mexicanos.  I — I  meant 
to  do  the  right  thing  by  you,  and  would  have  left  you 
the  property  till  that  devil,  Jasper  Carew  Moncton, 
came  along.  He  had  not  known  Godfrey,  but  he 
thought  he  recollected  me  in  old  Mississippi  days.  He 
suspected  me.  Somehow  he  was  aware  Jim  Godfrey 
was  a  Knight  of  the  Golden  Circle.  He  gave  me  the 
grips  and  signals  of  the  secret  order.  I  could  not  re 
turn  them.  So  he  finally  made  sure  that  I  was  not  Jim 
Godfrey,  but  Roger  Norton  that  he  had  once  seen  as 
purser's  clerk  on  the  Mississippi  River.  Then  he — he 
worked  on  my  fears  and  got  a  hold  on  me,  and — and 
then,  when  he'd  gone  up  North  and  seen  you,  'Strella, 
he  got  wild  for  you  and  would  have  me  bring  you  down 
so  that  he  could,  if  necessary,  force  you  to  be  his,  and 
— and  you  know  the  rest.  I  meant  to  be  pretty  good 
to  you,  and  I  hope  you'll  forgive  me  as — as  far  as  you 
can."  The  poor  creature,  sighing  his  life  out,  looks 
pleadingly  at  her. 

But  the  girl  suddenly  asks:  "Tell  me,  who  killed 
you?" 

"I— I  don't  know." 

Then  she,  bringing  the  paper  to  him,  half  sobs,  half 
gasps;  "Sign  this,  and  I'll  forgive  you,"  and  the 
frontiersman,  lifting  the  expiring  wretch  higher,  he 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  237 

succeeds  in  putting  his  name  beneath  his  dying  revela 
tion;  then  his  head  drops,  as  he  falls  forward  on  the 
floor. 

"And  now,"  says  Estrella,  eagerly,  "please  let  me 
write  that  you  were  killed  while  making  an  attack  upon 

me,  that "     She  pauses.     The  eyes  of  the  man  who 

had  called  himself  Godfrey  are  closed,  his  breath  has 
gone. 

"What's  all  this  strange  palaver  about?"  mutters 
Love.  "NoBody's  going  to  hurt  ye  for  killing  them 
skunks !" 

"No,  but  I  didn't  kill  them." 

"Well,  who  did?  It  warn't  me,  though  I'd  been 
proud  to  do  it." 

"I — I  think  it  was  Sharpe,"  whispers  the  girl,  ner 
vously. 

;  'Tain't  possible !"  cries  Love,  indignantly,  "or  this 
fellow  Moncton  would  have  been  dead  as  quick  as  the 
other.  Sharpe  Hampton  don't  shoot  twice  at  a  man." 

"But  I  might  have  been  in  the  way.     I  stood  so " 

"Yes — reckon  he'd  have  to  shoot  a  leetle  high  to 
avoid  ye.  Perhaps  it  was  Sharpe  Hampton." 

"But  Zelma  can  tell!"  And  Estrella  runs  into  the 
next  room.  Putting  her  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  the 
shrinking  octoroon,  Miss  Godfrey  asks :  "Zelma,  who 
fired  those  shots?" 

"I  don't  know,  miss;  I  don't  know,"  mumbles  the 
poor  cringing  creature  who  is  still  half  nude  in  prepa 
ration  for  her  chastisement.  "I  was  waiting  here  when 
I  heard  their  awful  words  to  you,  then  the  reports. 
Next  I  heard  some  one  in  that  room  kissing  you  and, 
seems  to  me,  I  distinguished :  'For  God's  sake,  I 
didn't  mean  to  kill  your  father!'  But  those  fearful 
men  are  dead,  and  I'm  only  your  slave — ain't  I,  Miss 
Strella,  only  your  slave  ?" 

This  her  mistress  does  not  answer.     She  has  run 


238  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

out  into  the  other  room,  where  Harry  is  calling: 
"Look  here !  Here's  a  piece  of  paper  kept  in  place  by 
a  bowie  knife  stuck  in  it,  and  we  never  see'd  it.  We'd 
make  fine  spies,  we  would !" 

Upon  it  has  been  agitatedly  scrawled :  "Good-bye. 
Forgive  me." 

"That's  Sharpe's  writin',  straight  enough!"  mutters 
Wild  Harry,  "but  I  never  knew  his  hand  could  trem 
ble  before." 

"It  is  my  first,  my  last  love  letter!"  screams  Estrella, 
and  seizes  it,  kisses  it  and  fondles  it. 

Then  Harry  mutters :  "Wall,  I'm  darned  if  this 
don't  beat  conniption  fits !" 

For  the  girl  is  crying  to  him :  "Get  on  your  horse ! 
After  him!  Sharpe  Hampton  thinks  he's  killed  my 
father,  and  that  this  wretch's  blood  stands  between  his 
love  and  me.  After  him !  Bring  him  back  to  me !  I 
promised  to  marry  him  to-morrow.  After  him  !  Find 
him  before  he  gets  down  on  the  Rio  Grande  and  throws 
his  life  away  in  some  wild  skirmish  because  he  thinks 
he's  killed  my  father  and  can  never  call  me  wife! 
After  him,  and  bring  him  back!" 


BOOK  V. 
BEYOND  THE   Rio    GRANDE. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

FLORITC/S   FANDANGO. 

It  is  a  hot,  sultry  summer  night  well  south  .of  the 
Rio  Grande,  on  the  most  southern  of  all  roads  leading 
from  Camargo,  first  over  low  cactus-covered  chaparral 
plains  called  the  Tierra  Caliente,  then  through  the 
foothills  of  the  Cordilleras  to  Monterey  and  Saltillo. 
This  road,  passing  by  the  little  adobe  town  of  China, 
avoided  by  the  main  divisions  of  Taylor's  Army,  has 
not  been  cut  up  by  trains  of  wagons  transporting 
provisions  and  camp  equipage  or  guns  of  the  artillery, 
though  it  has  been  scouted  over  and  ridden  over  by 
Texan  Rangers  and  Dragoons,  who  have  cleared  it  of 
the  Rancheros  and  the  regular  Mexican  cavalry  of 
General  Ampudia;  who  holds  in  force  the  town  and 
citadel  of  Monterey. 

Upon  this  road,  grown  dusty  under  the  hoofs  of  cav 
alry,  stands  a  little  hamlet  near  the  first  foothills  of  the 
mountains,  pleasantly  shaded  by  some  palmettos,  palms 
and  century  plants  that  indicate  it  is  still  near  the 
Tierra  Caliente,  though  it  is  watered  by  a  stream 
whose  swiftly  flowing,  cool  water  as  it  hurries  to  join 
the  San  Juan  River  shows  that  it  rises  in  the  heights 
of  the  Sierra  Madre. 

Within  this  hamlet  this  sultry  night,  though  the 
(239) 


24O  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

breeze  from  the  mountain  tempers  it,  for  the  benefit 
and  amusement  of  the  ferocious  Yankee  voluntaries 
is  being  given  a  fandango.  The  Mexican  mosos  and 
Icperos,  cringingly  doffing  their  sombreros,  have  gath 
ered  in  the  prettiest  poblanas  and  manolas  of  the  town, 
though  they  grind  their  yellow  teeth  and  snarl- 
ingly  feel  their  machetes  when  out  of  immediate  ob 
servation.  For  the  bright  eyes  of  the  senoritas  flash 
alluringly  to  the  wooing  of  these  Yankee  desperadoes, 
who  are  very  ardent  in  their  "lovings"  to  Juanita,  In- 
ezita  or  Lolita,  now  that  Sally,  Molly  and  Annie  are 
"to  hum"  in  far-away  Kentucky  or  Tennessee,  and 
who  practise  the  good  old-fashioned  soldier  routine : 

"If  you  cannot  make  love  to  the  lips  that  are  dear, 
At  least  you  can  kiss  the  lips  that  are  near." 

Under  live  oaks  lighted  by  torches,  the  salle  dc  danse 
being  a  smooth,  well-beaten  circle  of  earth  surrounded 
by  tables  for  gaming  and  likewise  the  sale  of  tortillas, 
frijoles,  dulces  and  aguardiente,  pulque,  and  other 
liquids  of  the  country,  a  merry  crowd  of  Texan 
Rangers  and  Uncle  Sam's  troopers  are  engaged  in  lov 
ing,  polkaing,  smoking,  drinking  and  gambling.  These 
are  interspersed  with  Mexicans  who  smile  between  their 
snarls,  and  senoritas  whose  white  chemises  scarcely  veil 
their  charms  of  busts  and  shoulders,  and  whose  short, 
bright-colored  petticoats  do  not  entirely  conceal  their 
graceful  legs  and  ankles.  Under  the  feet  of  everybody 
roam  a  drove  of  hairless  Mexican  dogs,  struggling  to 
get  a  snap  at  tortillas  and  frijoles,  yet  snarling,  yelp 
ing  and  howling  under  the  kicks  from  the  big  boots 
of  Rangers  and  troopers. 

In  addition,  a  banner  announces  "Florito's  Troupe 
of  Artists  from  the  Nuave  de  Teatro,  City  of  Mex 
ico."  These  add  to  the  entertainment  a  one-legged 
clown,  whose  performance  of  a  maimed  athlete  seems 
to  amuse  the  careless  crowd,  and  a  boy  whose  hand- 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  241 

springs  and  flip-flaps  are  more  those  of  an  orang 
outang  than  a  human  being. 

But  after  a  little  the  stellar  artiste  of  the  com 
pany,  coming  out  with  languishing  eyes  and  coquettish 
songs,  sends  the  concourse  wild  with  the  ever  popular 
"La  Ponchada."  Then  changing  from  song  to  dance, 
she  is  greeted  by  some  wild  "Vayas!"  and  "Buenos!" 
from  the  Mexicans,  and  cries  of  "Keep  it  up!"  "Go  it 
heel  and  toe !"  and  "Fling  yer  shanks  lively !"  from 
los  Yankees. 

These  are  acknowledged  by  "Bully  for  Uncle  Sam's 
voluntaries !"  from  the  archly  naive  figurante,  who  with 
flashing  eyes,  flowing  hair  and  waving  of  rebozo, 
throws  her  agile  limbs  very  gracefully  to  the  music  of 
guitar  and  mandolin,  clanking  her  castanets  in  cachucha 
and  tapping  her  tambourine  in  bolero. 

But  her  cachucha  and  bolero  being  finished,  the 
sylph  goes  about  laughing  and  chatting  and  even  drink 
ing  glasses  of  wine  with  the  assemblage,  holding  out 
tambourine  for  reward,  though  her  attentions  are 
chiefly  directed  to  the  boys  of  Uncle  Sam;  to  whom, 
being  more  liberal  than  her  compatriots,  she  says, 
archly:  "Pesos  por  me!  Nothing  less  than  a  dollar 
goes!  Sabe!  Big  silver  dollars!  Ah,  you  handsome 
Gringos  diablos!" 

Coming  out  of  the  crowd  with  her  tambourine  packed 
full  of  money  and  jingling  it  merrily  about,  under  a 
torch-lighted  oak,  she  pauses,  starts  as  if  a  snake  had 
stung  her  pretty  bare  legs,  and  mutters :  "Caramba, 
you  here !"  and  faces  the  drooping  and  beautiful  figure 
and  sad,  earnest  face  of  Estrella  Godfrey. 

"I  have  been  watching  for  you,"  says  the  American 
girl,  and  would  put  gold  into  the  dancing  girl's  tam 
bourine,  remarking,  eagerly  :  "Carmelita,  you  remem 
ber  how  you  saved  him  and  me  on  the  prairie.  Have 
you  seen  him?" 


242  T1JK    SPY    COMPANY. 

"Him?  Ca-spita,  you  mean  the  gallant  Captain!" 
cries  the  dancing  girl ;  then  shudders :  "From  you ; 
never!"  With  a  shame-faced  gesture  she  rejects 
haughtily  the  proffered  guerdon. 

But  a  lithe  little  Mexican,  just  behind  her,  cries: 
"Caramba,  jealous  idiot,  you  refuse  gold !"  and  seizes 
the  half-eagle  from  Miss  Godfrey's  fingers.  "Florito 
is  not  so  dainty !"  then  snarls :  "Demonios,  you're 
dropping  all  the  money  out  of  the  tambourine !"  With 
this  her  patron  takes  the  instrument  from  the  listless 
fingers  of  his  subject,  who  is  staring  agitatedly  at  Miss 
Godfrey. 

Then  takes  place  a  curious,  half -incoherent  interview 
broken  in  upon  and  interspersed  with  the  chinking 
of  money  and  the  cries  of  gamblers  from  the  neighbor 
ing  tables  and  the  thumbing  of  mandolins,  guitars  and 
the  shrieking  of  a  fiddle  from  the  Mexican  musicians ; 
the  two  girls  making  exquisite  contrast  in  the  torch 
light  that  is  now  mellowed  by  the  moon  rising  over 
the  spurs  of  the  Sierra  Madre.  Carmelita,  in  snowy 
chemisette  and  red-tinted  skirt  carelessly  worn  Mex 
ican  fashion  in  half-savage  nudity,  is  a  picture  of  bar 
baric  passion ;  Estrella  Godfrey,  clothed  for  her  jour 
ney  in  the  saddle  over  Mexican  trails  in  the  Indian 
costume  she  had  worn  on  the  prairie,  might  be  bar 
barous  also,  such  are  her  flashing  eyes  and  agitated 
gestures,  did  not  a  pathetic  sadness  dominate  and  make 
soft  her  wildest  emotions. 

"You  have  been  riding?  You  have  got  that  wild- 
eyed  Ranger  Harry  with  you !"  whispers  Carmelita. 
"I  saw  you  come  in  this  evening  escorted  by  that  troop 
of  Yankee  cavalry.  As  I  thought,  you  seek  il  Capitan 
Hampton."  Then  her  eyes  blaze  and  she  mutters : 
"But  you,  Dona  Americana,  shall  not  find  him — not 
through  Carmelita." 

"I  must,  or  he'll   be   dead   soon!"   sighs   Estrella. 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  243 

"They  tell  me  such  stories  of  his  careless,  reckless  ex 
posure  in  every  skirmish  and  fight  he  can  get  into." 

"Jesus,  he  is  brave,  isn't  he?  Resigned  from  the 
Texan  Rangers — Madre  de  Dios,  as  if  they  didn't  get 
killed  enough — and  organized  the  Spy  Company,  free 
to  find  death  in  the  Mexican  lines,  men  who  don't  want 
to  come  back ;  his  first  lieutenant  an  English  lord  who 
was  shooting  buffalo  on  the  plains  and  learned  his 
wife  had  run  away  with  a  duke ;  his  second  officer,  the 
little  daredevil  they  call  'The  Bravo,'  the  pet  of  a 
Louisiana  plantation  until  his  sweetheart  was  seduced 
by  a  New  York  gambler;  then  he  killed  the  gambler, 
and  has  come  down  here  to  get  himself  killed ;  a  dear 
little  boy  who  smokes  cigarettes  while  bullets  fly  about 
him,  and  each  night  dreams  of  home  and  mutters : 
'Mother.'  The  rest  of  them,  frontiersmen  whose  wives 
and  daughters  have  been  carried  off  by  Indians ;  bor 
derers  whose  families  and  sweethearts  have  been 
slaughtered  by  rancheros ;  each  a  despairing  man  who 
wants  to  die  but  sell  his  life,  and  all  driven  to  despair 
by  our  sex,  Dona  Americana." 

At  this  dread  description  of  her  sweetheart's  com 
mand  Estrella  Godfrey's  eyes  grow  agonized.  She 
cries  :  "You  have  seen  him  fight  ?" 

"Seen  him  fight?"  cries  Cannelita.  "Diablo,  how 
these  despairing  men  massacred  the  lancers  of  Carrabi- 
jol!  Ha,  ha,  ha!  It  is  great  to  see  Sharpe  Hampton 
fight !" 

"It  is!"  cries  Hampton's  fiancee,  her  eyes  lighting 
up  also. 

"Ay  di  me,  and  for  you,  Americana,"  sighs  the  danc 
ing  girl.  "That  is  more  than  he  ever  did  for  me  ex 
cept  when  he  quirted  little  Florito,  who  is  counting 
and  stealing  my  money,  because  Florito  was  going  to 
beat  me." 

"Ah,  then  in  gratitude  to  him,  tell  me  where  I  can 


244  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

find  him  and  take  despair  from  him?"  pleads  Miss 
Godfrey.  "Otherwise,  I — I'll  only  see  his  dead  body. 
You  know  these  mountains  ahead  of  us.  Aid  me  to 
get  word  to  him." 

"Word  of  what?"  Shame  flushes  the  expressive 
features  of  the  figurante ;  she  asks  eagerly :  "How 
many  letters  have  you  written?" 

"Oh,  many,"  moans  Estrella,  "besides  verbal  mes 
sages  by  dragoons  riding  to  the  front." 

"Caramba,  dragoons  don't  overtake  Sharpe  Hamp 
ton  !"  jeers  Carmelita ;  then  breaks  forth  into  a  nervous 
rhapsody :  "The  Spy  Company  !  Always  in  front  of 
all !  The  Spy  Company !  Sixty  men  leave  Mata- 
moras ;  now  there  are  only  thirty  left.  Always  in  front ; 
always  seeking  death ;  blue  chip  men,  who  risk  their 
lives  on  a  revolver  shot.  Always  righting;  always 
dying ;  crazy  men  led  by  a  crazy  chief !" 

"Ah,  you  have  seen  him!"  whispers  Miss  Godfrey. 
"You  know  where  he  is.  Take  me  to  him  that  I  may 
make  him  want  to  live!" 

"And  you  have  written  how  many  letters  to  him  to 
make  him  want  to  live?"  asks  Carmelita,  in  nervous 
eagerness. 

"Ah,  yes,  from  Matamoras  five;  two  from  Camar- 
go." 

"Diablo,  seven !" 

"And  you'll  take  me  to  him  ?" 

"How  can  I  ?  I  am  but  a  girl  helpless  as  you  with 
fighting  men  and  battling  armies.  Ask  that  young  dra 
goon  army  officer,  the  one  by  whose  side  you  rode  to 
day;"  and  Carmelita  goes,  jeeringly,  away  from  the 
half-despairing  American  girl. 

But  out  of  sight,  concealed  from  her  rival  by  a  cac 
tus  hedge,  and  she  gets  to  counting  on  her  fingers : 
"One — two — three — yes,  seven.  I  have  them  all !  All 
that  came  to  the  crazy  Captain  who  cares  so  little  for 
his  life  he  is  willing  to  toss  it  on  the  Mexican  lances ; 


THE    SPY    COMPANY.  245 

who  some  day,  diablo,  will  perhaps  get  crazy  enough 
to  love  me.  And  yet,  when  one  night  as  he  slept  on 
the  open  prairie,  I  crawled  through  the  grass  to  him 
to  put  my  lips  on  his,  and  even  in  his  sleep  he  turned 
away  from  me  and  whispered  her  name :  'Strella.' 
Then  I  could  have  driven  knife  through  him  or  through 
myself.  But  better  drive  it  through  her  now  she's  here ! 
I  knew  she'd  come.  Something  told  me.  Come  to  tell 
him  she  "forgives  him  for  something  that's  driving  him 
crazy  because  he  thinks  he's  lost  her.  But  I  can  stop 
her — stop  her  forever !  Why  not  ?  Why  did  not  Dona 
Highhorse  keep  up  North,  where  she  ought  to  be — 
immodest  thing  following  a  man?" 

Into  her  half-crazy  rhapsody  is  now  insinuated  the 
soft,  suggestive  voice  of  her  patron.  Little  Florito, 
coming  beside  the  dancing  girl,  whispers :  "The 
American  rica,  the  daughter  of  Godfrey,  who  owns  the 
enormous  flocks  and  herds  and  plantations  in  Texas, 
we  missed  her  once.  This  time  we  will  have  her,  a 
grand  ransom.  Here,  far  away  in  the  recesses  of  the 
Sierra  Madre,  we  can  make  Dona  Godfrey  so  unhappy, 
she  will  be  willing  to  write  that  they  send  whole  mule- 
loads  of  silver  dollars  for  her  rescue.  Santos,  last  time 
I  think  you  played  us  a  little  false  for  love  of  that 
Texan  Captain.  Now— 

"Now,"  whispers  Carmelita,  "now,  when  she  is  alone, 
no  mercy  is  in  my  heart !" 

"Then  come,  I'll  tell  you  my  little  plan.  Dona  Es- 
trella  is  seeking  the  man  she  loves.  We  will  aid  her, 
diablo,  we  will  aid  her!" 

At  this  Carmelita  bursts  into  a  mocking,  jee-ring 
laugh,  and  follows  her  patron  for  true  Mexican  dagger- 
in-the-back  plotting. 

As  for  Miss  Godfrey,  after  having  turned  away 
hopeless  of  any  aid  from  Carmelita,  she  goes  to  seek 
ing  among  the  gambling,  laughing,  dancing  throng 


246  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

about  the  tables  the  wild-eyed  Harry  Love.  Exclama 
tions  that  arise  over  the  twanging  of  the  guitars  and 
mandolins  embarrass  the  young  lady. 

"Whaugh,"  says  a  Texan  Ranger,  "draw  a  bead  on 
Josefa's  ankles ;  never  saw  purtier  in  old  Kaintuck !" 

"Come  on,  boys,  lets  give  the  Greasers  a  Virginny 
reel !"  cries  another,  leading  out  a  bright-eyed  poblana. 
"Don't  show  your  teeth,  my  little  jealous  Tomasito," 
he  adds,  "or  I'll  knock  them  down  yer  yaller  belly." 
This  is  addressed  to  a  snarling  Mexican  who  resents 
the  enlevement  of  his  sweetheart. 

As  for  Mr.  Love,  he  is  imbibing  aguardiente,  and 
has  hilariously  exclaimed:  "Golly,  ain't  drunk  so 
much  since  I  war  weaned!"  Then  he  laughs  to  a 
little  manola  of  imploring  eyes :  "No,  can't  have  all 
my  monte  winnings  this  trip,"  chinking  some  silver 
dollars  in  his  hands,  "but  I'll  give  ye  one  of  these  hyar 
to  flip  my  heels  wid  ye,"  and  would  lead  the  muchacha 
to  the  dance  did  not  at  this  moment  his  eyes  rest  upon 
his  beautiful  charge,  who  in  dejected  attitude  is  look 
ing  sadly  on.  "Here's  yer  dollar,"  he  cries  to  the 
poblana,  "go  and  dance  with  Tomasito !"  and,  turning 
away,  comes  to  Miss  Godfrey,  who  is  at  the  outskirts 
of  the  crowd. 

At  the  little  adobe  house  where  she  has  taken  up  her 
quarters  and  been  made  quite  comfortable  for  a  few 
silver  dollars  by  the  Mexican  family  that  live  in  it,  he 
says,  in  answer  to  the  somewhat  reproachful  glance 
of  the  young  lady  and  her  inquiries :  "Have  you 
heard  any  news  of  him  ?"  "I  ain't  so  full  of  mescal  as  I 
look.  I  kin  think  and  talk  straight  as  a  rifle  ball. 
From  the  gab  of  some  of  May's  Dragoons,  they  calker- 
late  they'll  overtake  Sharpe  some  time  if  he  ain't  killed 
fust.  They  say  the  talk  at  headquarters  is  that  Hamp 
ton's  Spy  Company  has  done  more  reliable  scouting 
than  any  other  gang  of  Rangers.  Old  Rough  and 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  247 

Ready's  gone  sweet  on  him,  and  that  they'll  offer  him 
a  captaincy  in  the  Rifles  like  they're  going  to  give  Sam 
Walker,  if  Sharpe  lives  to  git  it." 

"Lives  to  get  it!  Oh,  if  I  could  see  him  and  tell 
him  that  that  wretch's  blood  doesn't  stand  between  us, 
then  perhaps  he'll  live!"  breaks  out  the  girl,  despair 
ingly  ;  next  sighs :  "Sometimes,  Harry,  I  fear  some 
one's  stopping  my  communications  to  my  affianced. 
You  know  how  you  rode  after  him  down  to  Mata- 
moras.  He  had  left  there ;  but  you  sent  on  my  letter 
to  the  front.  You  had  to  return  to  your  command. 
Now,  thank  God,  the  Ranger  Colonel  has  given  you 
dispatches  to  Hampton,  though  I  don't  think  it  is  much 
more  than  simply  Tor  God's  sake,  Sharpe,  don't  throw 
away  your  life  too  carelessly !'  something  of  that 
nature !  Hays  in  his  kind  heart  calls  it  a  dispatch  and 
makes  it  your  military  duty  to  get  this  on  from  China. 
He  gave  it  to  my  teary  eyes,  to  my  beseeching,  that's 
all !  He  let  me  have  you,  Harry,  to  take  me  to  the  man 
I  love !  To  the  man  who  is  going  to  die." 

"Yas,  we're  all  a-gone  to  die,"  remarks  Love,  philo 
sophically,  "if  we  git  on  much  further.  We're  now 
with  the  foremost  cavalry  troop,  and  if  we  go  ahead 
of  'em,  Lord  knows  what'll  happen  to  us.  I  kin  fight 
for  ye  as  good  as  any  man.  I  kin  kill  a  few  dozen 
Greasers,  I  hope,  before  I  go  under,  but  there's  too 
many  dozen  to  kill." 

"Yes,  but  I  must  see  him.  If  he'd  only  join  the 
main  army  and  take  his  chances  with  the  rest.  He 
must  soon,  if  he  lives.  They're  all  gathering  together 
now  before  Monterey  to  storm  it.  Then  he'd  have  the 
chance  of  any  other  man.  Now  Sharpe  has  no  chance 
at  all,  I  think.  You  know  if  he  had  hope  of  me  he 
wouldn't  try  to  throw  his  life  away.  Get  me  to  him !" 

"Wall,  I'll— I'll  see  what  I  kin  do.  You  know  the 
country  from  now  on  will  be  full  of  rancheros,  and 


248  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

Hampton's  away  south  of  Monterey  on  the  Saltillo 
road,  I  calculate,  trying  to  see  if  the  Mexicans  are  send 
ing  any  reinforcements  to  join  Ampudia.  But  I'll — 
I'll  take  a  look  about  and  talk  to  you  a  little  later." 

The  frontiersman  goes  away,  leaving  the  girl  anx 
iously  pacing  the  mud  floor  of  the  adobe  hut  and  sigh 
ing  to  herself :  "How  to  reach  him  ?  How  to  reach 
him?" 

In  this  she  is  interrupted  by  little  Florito,  who  comes 
to  her,  a  very  suave  look  upon  his  olive  face  and  a 
pleasant  twinkle  in  his  beady  dark  eyes.  Stroking  his 
Jong  moustache  and  setting  jauntily  his  red  sash  over 
his  big  bell-shaped  trousers,  and  clanking  his  big  spurs 
on  his  yellow  boots,  he  says :  "Honored  Dona,  I  heard 
your  request  to  Carmelita.  You  wish  to  be  guided  to 
il  Capitan  Hampton.  I  can  get  you  there  for " 

"For  what?"  asks  Estrella,  eagerly. 

"For  a  hundred  silver  pesos,  or  I'll  take  it  in  gold. 
I'm  not  particular  about  little  matters.  I  know  a  safe 
trail  slightly  south  of  here,  more  towards  Montemore- 
los,  that  will  reach  the  village  where  Hampton  should 
be  to-morrow." 

"You  are  sure  you  can  get  me  to  Captain  Hamp 
ton?"  Miss  Godfrey's  tone  implies  doubt. 

"Quien  sabef  I  can  try,"  mutters  the  Mexican. 
"If  not  to-morrow,  certainly  the  next  day.  Are  you 
willing  to  take  the  risks?  There  will  be  some." 

"Yes,  any  risk!  I  will  speak  of  your  offer  to  Mr. 
Love,  who  has  dispatches  for  the  Captain  from  the 
Texan  Colonel.  He  will  go  with  me." 

"Oh,  the  Wild  Eyed  Harry.  He  will  go  with  you  ? 
Bueno,  speak  to  him.  Then  tell  me  if  you  wish  to 
meet  Captain  Hampton." 

The  Mexican  goes  away,  cursing  to  himself:  "Di 
ablo,  if  that  crazy  Texan  Ranger  went  with  us,  at  first 


THE    SPY   COMPANY.  249 

sign  of  treachery  poor  Florito  would  become  vulture 
meat.  Not  Wild  Harry,  por  amor  de  Dios!" 

In  this  he  is  aided  by  the  Texan  himself.  Miss  God 
frey,  coming  to  Love,  says :  "Harry,  good  news.  A 
little  Mexican  who  is  the  head  of  the  dancing  troupe, 
who  displays  the  one-legged  clown  and  Carmelita,  the 
dancing  girl,  and  the  boy  who  turns  somersaults,  he 
tells  me  that  he  knows  a  trail  south  of  here.  For  a 
hundred  pesos  he  will  guide  us  through  it  to  the  vil 
lage  where  Hampton  must  be  to-morrow  or  the  next 
day." 

At  this  Love,  turning  his  eyes  upon  her,  cries  :  "Not 
much !  That  moon  has  made  ye  luny !  Trust  our 
selves  to  that  little  sneaking  yaller  belly?  No  sirree! 
We'd  have  a  hundred  ranchero  lancers  around  us. 
We'd  be  gobbled !" 

"But  he  says  he  will  swear  on  the  Virgin  that " 

"No,  Miss  Godfrey,"  answers  the  Ranger.  "I'd 
never,  if  I  lived  to  git  through,  dare  to  tell  Sharpe 
that  I  let  ye  put  such  risk  upon  yerself.  Besides,  'tain't 
possible  ye'd  git  through !  Ye  put  that  wild  idea  out 
of  yer  head.  Git  inter  yer  blankets  and  sleep  it  off !" 
and  goes  away,  leaving  the  girl  more  unhappy  than 
ever. 

But  into  her  reverie  comes  Carmelita,  and  whispers 
to  her  sweetly,  but  passionately :  "You  say,  Yankee 
dona,  you  have  news  that  if  given  to  il  Capitan  Hamp 
ton  would  prevent  his  throwing  his  life  away,  which. 
ay  de  mi,  I  fear  he  will  do  soon.  No  man  can  take 
such  chances  forever.  Escopeta  balls  pierce  a  gallant 
heart  as  well  as  a  coward's.  If  you  wish  to  give  word 
to  him,  I'll  try  to  aid  you." 

"But  Mr.  Love  says  it  isn't  possible  we'd  get 
through." 

"Doubtless  that  would  be  true  with  a  few  armed 
soldiers,  but  Florito's  performing  troupe  will  not  be 


25O  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

touched  by  rancheros.  We  are  free  of  attack.  One 
night  we  dance  to  Canales's  Mexicans;  the  next  night 
we  amuse  Gillespie's  Rangers  or  McCulloch's  Mounted 
Aien.  We're  free  to  all.  Now,  if  you  alone  go  with 
us,  you  become  a  member  of  Florito's  travelling  troupe, 
a  dancing  girl  like  myself,  eh  ?" 

"Oh,  goodness  !"  half-shudders  Miss  Godfrey,  blush- 
ingly  gazing  at  the  outre  costume  in  which  Carmelita 
stands  before  her.  But  a  moment  after  she  adds : 
"Still,  I  might  journey  with  you.  You  might  say  I 
was  a  dancing  girl,  and  I  could  keep  my  face  veiled, 
after  the  manner  of  the  Mexicanas,  and  I  don't  think 
I'd  be  noticed." 

"Of  course  not.  Come  with  us.  The  hundred  pe 
sos  for  Florito.  Come  with  us,  but  don't  tell  Wild 
Eyed  Harry.  A  word  to  him,  and  he  wouldn't  let  you 
go.  He  has  already  warned  you,  hasn't  he?" 

"Yes." 

"It  is  your  option.  You  can  have  word  with  Cap 
tain  Hampton,  or  you  can  let  him  die  unknowing  what 
you  wish  to  say." 

"I'll  have  word  with  Captain  Hampton !"  answers 
Estrella,  excitedly.  "That  wretch's  blood  shall  not 
forever  stand  between  us.  Here's  your  hundred  pe 
sos."  She  gives  it  to  Carmelita  in  gold  from  a  little 
sack  she  carries  at  her  belt.  "Go  make  the  arrange 
ments.  What  time  do  we  leave?" 

"At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  all  sleep.  But 
we  must  go  out  quietly,"  and  Catrnelita  departs 

To  herself,  Estrella  communes  devotedly :  "I'll  take 
the  chance.  It  has  been  so  weary  waiting — a  month 
— and  he  thinking  all  the  time  that  wretch's  blood  was 
that  of  my  father,  and  so  there  could  be  no  hope  for  us 
together  in  this  life.  Yes,  I'll  see  Sharpe  to-morrow 
or  the  next  day.  See  him  !  O,  Heaven,  will  the  clouds 
pass  away  and  the  sunshine  break  forth  upon  us  again !" 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  251 

After  a  moment  Miss  Godfrey,  becoming  calmer, 
sits  down  and  writes  in  pencil — there  is  no  pen  and  ink 
in  the  place — upon  some  pages  of  a  memorandum  book 
certain  instructions  to  Mr.  Martin,  her  old  guardian, 
who  by  this  time,  she  thinks,  must  be  at  the  Hacienda 
of  Live  Oaks  taking  charge  of  its  enormous  estate,  for 
now  she  has  discovered  large  sums  of  money  in  New 
Orleans  banks  and  the  tremendous  flocks  and  herds 
and  fields  of  which  she  is  possessed.  But  her  riches 
have  perhaps  only  hastened  her  speeding  after  her 
affianced,  separated  from  her  by  his  terrible  misappre 
hension. 

Unable  to  get  news  to  Hampton,  Estrella  had  des 
perately  come  down  to  Matamoras,  then  up  the  Rio 
Grande  to  Camargo,  where  she  had  left  Zelma  behind 
her,  wishing  to  be  free  for  rapid  travel,  the  octoroon 
being  unaccustomed  to  horse  exercise.  So  she,  riding 
Indian  fashion,  as  she  had  come  over  the  prairie,  with 
revolvers  in  her  belt,  under  Love's  escort,  had  jour 
neyed,  overtaking  various  columns  of  Taylor's  infantry 
and  regiments  of  cavalry  and  battalions  of  artillery. 
As  the  fair  girl  has  passed  through  the  rough  sol 
diers'  hats  have  been  raised  quietly  to  her,  they  think 
ing  she  is  some  young  widow  or  some  daughter  com 
ing  down  for  her  dead,  for  many  brave  spirits  have 
passed  of  wounds  and  more  of  fever  along  that  track 
from  Camargo  to  Monterey,  and  many  more  will  die 
as  they  storm  the  Mexican  citadel  ere  they  plant  the 
American  flag  on  the  Bishop's  palace. 

With  this  letter  which  she  addresses  to  Alexander 
Martin,  and  with  another  that  bears  the  name  of  Sharpe 
Hampton,  the  young  lady  comes  out  of  the  little  adobe 
house  and  wanders  to  the  fandango,  which  is  still  in 
progress,  though  the  torches  are  burning  more  dimly. 
Here  she  finds  a  dashing  young  officer  of  May's  Dra 
goons  to  whom  she  says:  "Lieutenant  Pelham." 


252  THE  SPY  COMPANY. 

And  he,  looking  at  her,  whispers :  "Miss  Godfrey, 
how  can  I  serve  you  ?"  and  raises  his  hat,  though  cour 
teously,  quite  formally,  for  already  this  young  man 
knows  that  there  is  no  hope  for  him  of  the  fair  girl's 
love. 

"In  case  there  is  any  accident  to  me,  would  you 
kindly  deliver  this  letter  to  Captain  Hampton?  You, 
I  think,  owe  it  to  me  for  the  wild  words  you  spoke  to 
him  that  evening  in  Corpus  Christi  that  kept  his  tongue 
silent  too  long.  Of  course,  you  know  we  are  affi 
anced  ?" 

"Yes,"  mutters  the  dragoon.  "I  know  that,  and  for 
my  impulsive  words  I  will  deliver  this  letter  to  Captain 
Hampton  if  I  die  doing  it.  But  you  spoke — of — of 
some  accident  to  you.  There  is  some  danger  here,  of 
course,  to  every  one.  Have  you  anything  particular 
to  fear?" 

"No,  except  that  I  shall  be  without  escort.  To 
morrow  I  journey  by  a  quicker  way  than  your  column 
would  take." 

"That  must  not  be !"  cries  Pelham,  earnestly.  "That 
must  not  be !" 

"I've  got  to  go.  I  have  got  to  find  Sharpe  before 
the  next  fight !"  answers  Estrella,  frantically.  "Every 
minute  from  him  is  danger  to  him.  I've  got  to  tell 
my  affianced  there  is  no  reason  for  his  leaving  me,  who 
was  to  be  his  bride  within  forty-eight  hours,  leaving 
me  almost  at  the  church  door !" 

"He  thinks  you  untrue  to  him  ?"  gasps  the  dragoon 
in  low,  astounded  voice. 

"Thank  God,  not  that !  Sharpe  thinks  he  has  killed 
my  father,  when  it  was  only  a  vile  wretch  imperso 
nating  him.  Should  you  meet  Sharpe  Hampton,  teii 
him  he  did  the  kindest  deed  man  could  do.  for  woman 
in  shooting  down  the  false  Jim  Godfrey,  who,  pretend 
ing  fatherhood,  would  have  made  my  broken  heart  the 


THE    SPY    (OMt'AXY.  253 

buttress  of  his  safety  against  the  world.  Sharpe  will 
understand.  The  story  is  too  painful  for  me  to  tell  in 
detail.  Good-bye.  Thank  you  for  your  promise.'' 

Miss  Godfrey  goes  quietly  away,  and,  finding  the 
company's  quartermaster-sergeant,  delivers  to  him  for 
transportation  her  letter  to  Martin,  and  also  a  short 
note,  requesting  him  to  hand  it  to  Private  Harry  Love 
at  reveille. 

Whereupon  early  this  morning,  long  before  day 
break,  a  strange  cavalcade  gets  in  motion.  It  consists 
of  Florito's  troupe  of  travelling  performers.  Among 
them  rides  Estrella  Godfrey,  looking  not  so  unlike  Car- 
melita,  being  dressed  in  the  riding  costume  usual  to 
Mexican  girls. 

In  front  of  her  travels  the  one-legged  clown,  who 
has  now  become  two-legged,  straddling  his  horse  with 
the  grace  of  a  vacquero.  The  boy  who  threw  somer 
saults  the  evening  before  is  an  equally  good  equestrian, 
and  leads  a  couple  of  pack  mules  laden  with  the  per 
forming  costumes  and  the  impedimenta  of  the  party. 

So  they  take  their  way  out  of  the  little  Mexican  vil 
lage,  passing  the  American  sentries,  to  whom  Florito 
delivers  a  pass  signed  by  the  commanding  officer; 
though  the  showman  seems  to  be  known  quite  well  to 
the  outposts,  one  of  them  saying :  "That  was  a  mighty 
good  show  you  gave  us  last  night.  But,  by  Pike  Coun 
ty,  ye  didn't  trot  out  both  of  yer  dancing  girls !"  He 
glances  towards  Miss  Godfrey,  who  is  heavily  veiled 
with  her  rebozo  tapado. 

"Yes,  my  debutante,"  chuckles  Florito.  "She  dances 
for  the  first  time  at  the  next  pueblo." 

Then  they  take  their  way  up  a  trail  leading  by  a  rush 
ing  brook  that  comes  foaming  from  the  Sierras,  behind 
which  the  moon  is  now  sinking,  its  last  rays  illumining 
heavy  chaparral  of  cacti,  Spanish  daggers,  mesquites 


254  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

and  prickly  pears,  though  higher  up  among  the  hills 
are  pines  and  firs. 

With  every  step  of  Mulefoot  along  this  rocky  path 
Miss  Godfrey  thinks,  excitedly :  "I  am  getting  nearer 
to  my  love!" 

But  Florito,  as  he  rides,  the  last  of  the  party,  grins 
to  himself:  "Diablo,  a  grand  ransom  and  likewise  a 
grand  revenge.  The  affianced  wife  of  the  Ranger  Cap 
tain  .who  quirted  me  publicly  on  the  plaza  of  Mata- 
moras.  For  Dios,  and  she,  my  prey,  whom  I  will  make 
my  peon,  and  coin  her  charms  into  money  till  I  let  her 
ransom  herself  and  make  me  rich !" 

As  for  Carmelita,  perhaps  she  has  some  conscience 
— for  once  or  twice,  riding  by  the  side  of  her  beautiful 
fellow  peon,  she  has  opened  her  lips  impulsively,  as  if 
to  say  some  words  of  warning,  but  each  time  the  very 
loveliness  of  her  exquisite  American  rival  has  made 
her  snap  her  pearly  teeth  together  like  a  vicious  pec 
cary. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE    WAIF   OF   THE   BORDER. 

From  Monterey,  the  capital  of  Nueva  Leon,  now 
beleaguered  by  General  Taylor's  Army,  extends  a 
mountain  valley  running  something  over  forty  miles 
to  a  little  southwest  of  the  town  of  Saltillo.  A 
long  upland  plateau,  varying  in  width  from  a  few  hun 
dred  yards  to  four  or  five  miles,  it  is  quite  well  culti 
vated  for  Mexico,  having  a  number  of  cornfields 
watered  by  the  San  Juan  River,  which  gradually  tow 
ards  the  south  diminishes  into  a  little  stream.  On  both 
sides  it  is  bordered  by  the  almost  impassable  mountains 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  255 

of  the  Sierra  Madre,  most  of  the  escarpments  of  which 
are  very  steep. 

Up  this  valley  passes  the  main  and  only  road  capable 
of  the  transportation  of  artillery  or  the  necessary  im 
pedimenta  of  an  army  marching  from  Monterey  south 
to  attack  San  Luis  Potosi,  en  route  for  the  City  of 
Mexico.  But  a  cut-off,  a  narrow  mule  path  leaving  the 
immediate  rear  of  Monterey,  leads  through  the  high 
mountains,  and  after  a  number  of  miles  of  rocky  trail 
over  commanding  heights  and  dizzy  precipices  reenters 
the  Saltillo  Valley.  Monterey  being  now  surrounded 
by  the  American  Army,  Worth's  Division  having  got 
in  the  rear  of  it  and  cut  its  garrison  off  from  the  main 
road,  this  rocky  defile  is  the  only  path  open  for  passage 
of  infantry  or  light  cavalry  reinforcements  to  the  gar 
rison  of  the  beleaguered  city,  though  utterly  impassable 
to  artillery  or  heavily  accoutred  men. 

Into  this  trail  leads  the  little  mountain  path  over 
which  Florito  and  his  party  escorting  Miss  Godfrey, 
journeying  through  the  hills  from  the  east,  descend 
upon  the  third  day  after  the  night  of  the  fandango. 
Florito  thinks  it  is  far  from  the  highways  of  troops, 
as  he  has  no  wish  to  surrender  this  valuable  young 
lady  he  is  luring  into  captivity  to  rancheros.  Under 
his  guidance  they  have  gone  at  first  towards  Monte- 
morelos,  then  have  turned  west  through  the  hills  which 
gradually  have  become  higher.  Finally  passing  the 
divide,  they  have  spent  two  nights  at  little  mountain 
ranchos  and  are  now  descending  into  the  main  Saltillo 
Valley,  nearly  a  score  of  miles  southwest  of  Monterey. 

At  the  junction  of  these  two  trails,  just  out  of  the 
big  valley,  is  a  little  pueblo  nestled  in  the  hills  and  well 
sheltered  among  woods  of  mountain  timber.  From  it, 
running  down  into  the  main  plateau,  the  path  is  wider 
and  loss  precipitous,  and  might  even  permit  the  pas 
sage  of  a  well-horsed  light  field  piece,  though  the  gorge 


256  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

leading  to  the  mountains  is  impracticable  to  any  but 
horsemen  or  footmen. 

As  Miss  Godfrey  in  company  with  Florito  and  his 
party  rides  into  this  little  Mexican  town  towards  even 
ing  she  scarce  notices  the  place  itself,  which  seems  very 
quiet  and  peaceful,  though  from  the  northeast  comes 
a  low,  faint,  very  distant  rumbling,  which  she  thinks  is 
thunder;  though  it  is  the  roar  of  cannon  telling  of 
dying  brave  men  around  the  distant  walls  of  assaulted 
Monterey. 

All  the  young  lady's  eyes  show  her  is  that  there  is  a 
long,  narrow  defile  leading  through  the  great  mountains 
to  the  north,  and  into  this  descends  the  smaller  mule 
path  that  she  has  travelled.  That  beyond  this,  al 
most  where  the  gorge  debouches  upon  the  plateau,  is 
a  little  town  of  adobes  containing  the  ordinary  plaza 
upon  one  side  of  which  is  the  usual  Mexican  church 
built  of  stone,  with  its  little  peculiar  shaped  belfry. 
Opposite  this,  on  the  other  side  of  the  plaza,  stands  a 
half-ruined  monastery;  about  it  cactus-covered  walls 
also  of  stone,  in  which  are  visible  the  orange  trees, 
flowers  and  grape  vines  of  a  deserted  garden.  This 
religious  house  has  probably  been  abandoned  by  its 
monks  from  the  time  of  the  Mexican  War  of  Inde 
pendence. 

Slightly  nearer  to  them  is  a  lower  building,  presum 
ably  once  a  convent  for  women.  It  adjoins  the  monas 
tery,  yet  fronts  another  side  of  the  plaza.  Over  all 
this,  lighting  the  gorge  and  making  red  the  Saltillo 
Valley  beyond,  is  the  great  tropic  sun  sinking  behind 
the  higher  peaks  of  the  Sierra  Madre. 

But  in  the  red  glow  that  illumines  the  unpaved 
streets,  though  her  eyes  seek  for  them  hungrily  as 
those  of  a  traveller  on  the  desert  looking  for  an  oasis, 
she  notes  no  Texan  Rangers.  As  their  little  cavalcade 
comes  jingling  into  it  she  can  see  only  a  few  rurales 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  257 

of  the  nearby  valley,  a  lot  of  cigarette-smoking  mozos 
and  leperos,  and  a  few  gaudily  skirted  poblanas,  who 
lounge  about  in  their  free  Mexican  style,  though  this 
evening  the  very  distant  thunderstorm  to  the  north 
seems  to  put  some  excitement  into  them. 

These  crowd  about  the  little  party  as  Florito  halts 
his  caballada  in  front  of  the  deserted  convent,  whose 
adobe  walls  are  quite  thick,  having  grated  windows 
and  an  unusually  strong  reja  fixed  on  its  heavily  stud 
ded  street  door,  though  the  iron  work  is  rendered  weak 
by  the  rust  of  generations.  This  ruined  convent  Florito's 
party  take  possession  of  with  scant  ceremony,  their 
chief  hurrying  off  in  his  active  Latin  way  to  plant  his 
banner  in  the  plaza  and  see  the  alcalde  as  to  arrange 
ments  for  the  coming  exhibition. 

Here  in  a  big  room  with  grated  windows  opening 
upon  the  plaza  Carmelita  says :  "Behold  our  quar 
ters  !"  and  prepares  to  make  herself  comfortable,  laugh 
ing  as  Estrella  shudders  at  the  alacrans,  centipedes 
and  scorpions  that  they  find  wandering  about  its  cor 
ners  and  crevices.  "Do  with  them  as  I  do!"  she  cries, 
vivaciously,  as  she  crushes  an  alacran  under  her  little 
foot. 

But  even  these  reptiles  affect  Miss  Godfrey's  mind 
only  passingly.  She  has  sunk  upon  a  pile  of  blankets 
they  have  tossed  down  for  her  on  the  mud  floor,  and 
is  thinking  only  of  meeting  Hampton,  which  now  seems 
to  her  almost  suspiciously  delayed.  After  a  little 
she  watches  lazily,  for  she  is  quite  tired,  the  hastily 
lighted  fire  and  the  tortillas  being  made  upon  a  hot 
stone  by  a  girl  who  seems  to  be  the  maid  of  all  work 
of  the  party,  and  who  sold  mescal  and  refreshments  at 
Florito's  fandango  four  evenings  before,  likewise  the 
olla  podrida  which  is  being  cooked  in  an  iron  pot, 
plenty  of  chili-colorado  being  tossed  into  it  with  suffi 
cient  of  garlic  to  make  her  open  her  nostrils.  During 


258  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

this  the  American  girl  runs  over  in  her  mind  rather 
dreamily  the  incidents  of  her  strange  journey,  which 
through  the  mountains  has  been  quite  coolly  pleasant 
compared  with  that  of  the  hot  roads  over  the  lower 
plains. 

During  her  travels  she  has  received  complaisant  at 
tention  from  her  fellow  travellers  and  much  encourage 
ment  from  little  Florito,  who,  as  he  has  ridden  beside 
her,  has  whispered  to  her  every  now -and  then:  "Va- 
mos,  il  Capitan  Hampton  is  ahead  of  us." 

To  this  she  has  said :  "You  seem  to  know  his  com 
pany's  movements  very  well." 

And  the  little  scoundrel,  being  anxious  to  keep  up 
her  resolution  and  incite  her  to  rapid  riding,  has  dis 
closed  to  her  rather  incautiously,  though  he  is  far  away 
frorh  Mexican  lancers,  that  he  has  been  at  times  a  spy 
for  the  Americanos,  and  thus  knows  Hampton's  prob 
able  location.  "I  have  been  with  the  Texan  Captain 
on  and  off  this  month,  so  has  Carmelita,"  he  says  be 
tween  puffs  of  his  cigarette.  "We  have  been  valuable 
to  him  in — oh,  you  understand — information.  Car 
melita  and  I  could  go  into  Monterey  unquestioned." 

"You  have  been  with  Captain  Hampton,  and  she  has 
been  with  Captain  Hampton  for  the  last  month,"  mut 
ters  Miss  Godfrey,  and  looks  with  uneasy  eyes  at  the 
beauty  of  the  dancing  girl  who  is  riding  in  her  grace 
ful  Mexican  style  near  the  head  of  the  party. 

"Cierto.  Carmelita  is  quite  the  right  hand  of  the 
American  Captain.  She  would  do  anything  for  him. 
You  understand,  quite  the  right  hand  ?" 

"Ah,  yes,  I  believe  I  understand,"  sighs  Estrella, 
though  she  cannot  believe  his  words.  Yet  once  or 
twice  in  the  last  day  or  two,  thinking  of  this,  she  has 
said  to  herself:  "Why  should  I  try  to  see  him?  If 
Sharpe  really  loved  me,  he  could  not "  then  shud 
dered  :  "Why  not !  He  thinks  a  father's  blood  stands 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  259 

between  us  and  I  am  lost  to  him  forever !"  This  has 
affected  her  spirits  as  she  has  ridden  over  the  steep 
mountain  passes,  the  sure  hoofs  of  Mulefoot  carrying 
her  safely  across  the  dizzy  trail.  Several  times  she  has 
cried  mentally  :  "It  is  a  duty !  Under  the  circum 
stances,  I  will  tell  this  man !"  then  has  tearfully  fal 
tered  :  "If  he  has  no  hope  of  me,  what  may  he  not 
have  carelessly  done?  May  he  not  have  tried  to  for 
get  me  in "  She  cannot  continue  the  cruel  thought. 

She  simply  wrings  her  hands  and  begins  to  hate  Car- 
melita  as  thoroughly  as  Carmelita  hates  her. 

As  for  Carmelita,  several  times  during  this  curious 
journey  she  has  looked  upon  her  lovely  companion 
when  they  have  got  to  chatting  together — as  girls  will 
do,  even  if  they  hate  each  other — with  strange  spasms 
of  conscience  in  her  eyes.  Once  she  and  Florito  have 
had  a  very  angry  discussion,  the  little  showman  bandit 
raising  his  quirta  to  the  dancing  girl,  and  she  putting 
her  little  hand  upon  the  stiletto  in  her  bosom,  has  mut 
tered,  snarlingly:  "The  time  has  passed  for  that. 
Caramba,  a  blow  and  you  are  dead !"  Then  she  has 
laughed  jeeringly:  "There  are  tenderer  shoulders 
than  mine.  Beat  your  other  slave!" 

But  Miss  Godfrey  doesn't  know  the  covert  sugges 
tion  of  Carmelita's  words,  and  journeys  unsuspectingly 
along.  For  all  through  this  curious  ride,  even  after 
the  days  have  passed  in  which  Florito  has  promised 
she  should  encounter  the  Texan  Ranger,  she  has  had 
but  little  thought  of  her  own  personal  peril.  She  has 
grown  so  accustomed  to  thinking  of  Hampton's  danger 
that  her  own  risk  seldom  rises  in  her  mind.  Besides, 
she  feels  quite  confident  of  her  own  powers  of  self- 
defence.  Has  she  not  the  Ranger's  two  five-shooters 
at  her  belt,  and  does  she  not  know  how  to  use  these 
arms  with  precision  and  effect! 

Perchance  she  wouldn't  be  as  confident  of  their  value 


260  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

did  she  remember  that  at  the  last  halt,  where  she  had 
unbuckled  for  her  convenience  the  belt  that  carries  the 
heavy  weapons  and  put  them  by  her  side,  that  Car- 
melita  has  attracted  her  attention  by  taking  her  to  see 
some  wild  flowers  growing  in  a  rocky  nook,  lovely 
orchids  that  are  found  very  beautiful  in  Mexico ;  that 
when  she  has  returned  from  this,  only  a  few  steps  away 
in  a  little  neighboring  gorge,  Florito's  manner  has  been 
much  easier,  and  he  has  chuckled  right  merrily  to  him 
self  as  she  has  buckled  on  the  belt  containing  her 
weapons. 

This  retrospection  is  interrupted  by  the  return  of 
Florito,  who  says,  contentedly :  "Carmelita,  I've  seen 
the  alcalde.  We  perform  this  evening  in  the  little 
plaza." 

But  Miss  Godfrey,  starting  up,  asks  him :  "Any 
news  of  the  Spy  Company?" 

"No,  no  news  of  the  rangers,"  he  grins,  "but  we  are 
going  towards  them — to-morrow,"  he  waves  his  hand 
towards  the  west. 

But  Florito's  only  intention  is  to  get  as  far  as  pos 
sible  from  the  rangers  and,  in  fact,  he  doesn't  care  to 
be  bothered  by  Mexican  rancheros.  They  might  take 
his  valuable  captive  from  him.  In  his  mind  is  the 
pleasing  thought :  "To-morrow  we  will  cross  the 
valley  and  enter  the  main  range.  A  few  days  from 
now  we  will  be  in  their  fastnesses,  well  away  from 
contending  armies,  where  I  can  make  this  rica  girl  write 
such  tearful  letters  that  they  will  send  for  her  delivery 
whole  mule-leads  of  silver.  Diablo,  then  I  will  become 
a  rico  myself !" 

So  over  their  supper  he  gets  to  chatting  quite  mer 
rily,  saying  to  Carmelita,  who  has  already  put  herself 
into  dancing  toilet :  "Santos,  you're  pretty  enough  to 
make  a  saint  want  to  kiss  you,"  and,  chucking  her  un 
der  the  chin,  would  perhaps  place  a  salute  upon  the 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  26 1 

dewy  cherries  she  calls  lips;  but  she  steps  back,  and, 
raising  quick  as  lightning  a  stiletto,  utters  this  astound 
ing  sentiment  for  a  woman :  "Florito,  dare  to  tell  me 
1  am  beautiful  again  and  I'll  kill  you.  My  lips  are 
only  for  one  man !" 

"Who  never  kisses  them !"  sneers  the  acute  little 
scoundrel. 

At  this  cruel  scoff  Carmelita  looks  at  him  with  ago 
nized  face,  then  throws  up  her  hands  and  gasps :  "Ay 
de  mi !"  and  sinks  down  upon  a  pile  of  blankets,  crying 
as  if  her  heart  would  break,  while  the  volatile  little 
showman  goes  chucklingly  away  to  engage  pine  torches 
to  illuminate  this  evening's  exhibition  in  the  plaza. 

Looking  upon  this,  a  curious  thought  enters  Miss 
Godfrey:  "For  whom  does  she  keep  her  lips? 
Hampton ;  who  never  kisses  them !"  and  for  every  sob 
of  Carmelita  there  is  a  rapturous  hope  in  the  American 
girl's  heart. 

Quite  shortly  afterwards,  hope  is  changed  to  terror. 
Florito  flies  in  excitedly  and  cries :  "Santos,  you  see 
them !" 

"What,  the  Spy  Company?"  ejaculates  Miss  God 
frey,  starting  up  wildly. 

"No,  maldito,  the  accursed  lancers  of_Canales !  See, 
they  are  coming  up  the  defile  from  the  Saltillo  road !" 

Looking  through  the  grated  windows  Miss  Godfrey 
notices  in  the  dusk  a  column  of  rough-riding  lancers, 
the  colors  of  their  little  green,  white  and  red  Mexican 
flag,  its  centre  emblazoned  by  an  Aztec  eagle,  being 
apparent  in  the  light  of  the  torches  flaming  for  Flo- 
rito's  exhibition  in  the  plaza. 

To  the  little  showman's  rage,  these  fellows,  some 
hundred  of  them,  make  their  preparations  for  the  night, 
putting  out  a  picket  further  up  the  canon  and  lighting 
fires  in  the  plaza;  the  bulk  of  the  men  occupying  the 


262  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

church,  and  their  officers  going  off  to  the  alcalde's  house 
for  their  supper. 

Peering  out  at  them,  Miss  Godfrey  thinks :  "These 
are  the  men  from  whom  Hampton  rescued  me  by  put 
ting  the  Comanches  on  them  five  months  ago.  And  in 
all  this  time  the  man  I  love  and  I  have  had  but  one — 
one  blessed  interview  in  which  we  told  our  passion  to 
the  other.  And  now,  when  I  had  hoped  to  see  his  dash 
ing  Rangers,  these  ruffians  again  cut  me  off  from  him. 
Fate  is  against  me !" 

Fate  seems  also  to  be  against  Florito;  he  is  not 
very  eager  for  the  lancers  of  Canales.  "The  beasts 
will  give  me  next  to  nothing!"  he  snarls,  "and  they'll 
want  everything ;  every  dance ;  every  contortion ;  every 
performer  among  us."  Then  he  cries  suddenly  to  Miss 
Godfrey :  "Keep  your  head  from  the  window,  girl !" 
next  mutters,  affrightedly :  "Diablo,  you  will  have  to 
appear  now!" 

"I  ?"     This  is  a  half-scream  from  the  American  girl. 

"Yes,  the  mozos  are  chattering  of  my  two  dancing 
girls.  I  mentioned  you  in  my  troupe  to  the  alcalde. 
For  your  own  safety,  you  will  have  to  be  a  figurante. 
Otherwise  the  officers  of  these  devil  lancers,  if  they 
guess,  will  demand  you  as  their  prisoner,  and  then, 
santos  y  muertos,  what  will  happen  to  you !" 

"I — I,  a  dancing  girl?"  stammers  Estrella,  getting 
red  to  the  roots  of  her  hair. 

"Cierto,  why  not?    You  can  dance?" 

"Oh,  yes,  but  only  ballroom  steps." 

"Caspita,  that's  the  idea.  Ballroom  steps.  A  nov 
elty.  La  Polka  is  now  the  favorite  dance  of  Mexico. 
Polka  high.  Kick  your  feet  in  air.  Polka  after  the 
Parisian  manner !  Carmelita,  make  her  look  like  you !" 
and  he  goes  away,  leaving  Miss  Godfrey  trembling  and 
confused. 

As  for  Carmelita,  a  kind  of  nasty  triumph  is  in  her 


THE  SPY   COMPANY.  263 

eyes.  She  is  thinking :  "Hampton  turned  up  his  nose 
at  me,  the  dancing  girl.  Bueno,  she  will  be  no  better 
than  I  am.  And  then  her  beauty  and  Canales's  officers 
— Madre  de  Dios,  it  is  a  devilish  thing  I  am  doing!" 
But  she  goes  with  eager  hands  making  Estrella  like 
herself,  chatting  laughingly :  "You  will  never  be  dis 
covered.  Bah,  some  yellow  clay  and  some  wild  cherry 
j  uice  upon  those  pretty  white  legs  of  yours,  and  they'll 
be  as  brown  as  mine.  My  skin's  as  white  as  yours. 
Your  face  is  as  tanned  as  mine  now.  It  is  only  sun 
shine,"  and  Carmelita  pulls  her  chemise  from  her 
shoulders,  showing  them  as  beautifully  formed  and  as 
dazzlingly  white  where  protected  from  the  sun  as  even 
those  of  the  fair  American.  "Jesus,  dressed  like  me, 
floating  rebozo  on  your  head,  comb  and  castanets. 
Vaya,  you're  a  dancing  girl." 

During  this  she  has  been  getting  the  American  girl 
into  a  costume  like  unto  hers  that  she  pulls  from  one 
of  the  saddle  bags..  In  this,  though  unaided,  she  has 
not  been  resisted  by  Miss  Godfrey,  for  in  her  agita 
tion  Estrella  doesn't  know  exactly  what  to  do.  She  is 
thinking  of  Canales's  awful  lancers.  In  her  ears  is 
ringing  Florito's  terrible  insinuation :  "And  then, 
santos  y  muertos,  what  will  happen  to  you !" 

In  a  state  of  modest  coma  Miss  Godfrey  permits 
Carmelita  to  unbind  her  hair  and  do  it  up  in  the  float 
ing  Spanish  fashion,  with  comb  and  lace  rebozo  float 
ing  from  it,  and  allows  even  her  shoulders  to  be  stained 
with  the  wild  cherry  juice,  which  Manola,  the  girl  at 
tendant,  has  brought  in. 

Though  glancing  down  upon  herself  now  in  the  danc 
ing-girl's  costume,  she  knows  she  could  easier  die  than 
pose  in  its  semi-nudity  of  limbs  and  bosom,  before  the 
crowd  gathering  in  the  plaza. 

Mistaking  the  repugnance  on  Estrella's  face,  Car 
melita  says  reassuringly :  "Idiot,  don't  be  frightened. 


264  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

You  look  well  enough.  Verdad,  you've  got  the  finest 
shape  in  all  Mexico!"  Putting  a  blazing  torch  before 
a  cracked  mirror  that  she  uses  during  personal  adorn 
ment,  she  places  her  arm  about  Estrella's  waist,  and 
half  pulls  the  American  girl  to  it.  "Here,  look  in  the 
glass!"  she  laughs,  then  ejaculates  in  a  dazed  way: 
"Santissima  Virgen,  we're  as  like  as  two  cherries." 

Miss  Godfrey  carelessly  gazing  into  the  mirror  starts 
astounded ;  for  face  by  face,  the  heads  of  both  girls, 
crowned  with  Spanish  combs  and  floating  lace  scarfs, 
their  hair  unbound  and  mixed  together,  their  delicate 
shoulders  and  bosoms  side  by  side  rising  from  the 
snowy  chemises,  they  look  like  copies  of  the  same  paint 
ing. 

Though  Carmelita's  figure  is  a  little  slenderer,  and 
her  eyes  and  hair  are  slightly  darker,  the  features  of 
both  have  the  same  cast,  their  eyes  the  same  expression, 
their  faces  the  most  striking  resemblance  of  family  and 
blood. 

"Jesus,  we're  as  like  as  two  sisters !"  laughs  Carmel- 
ita. 

"Like  as  two  sisters!"  cries  Estrella,  looking  at  the 
mirror  as  if  fascinated.  "Like  as  two  SISTERS?"  She 
ponders  a  moment  and  then  asks  eagerly :  "You — you 
told  me  you  were  the  waif  of  the  border.  Who  are 
your  father  and  mother?" 

"Devil  knows,"  jeers  Carmelita.  "Apparently  they 
looked  like  your  father  and  mother." 

"Did  I  not  tell  you  once  I  had  a  sister  stolen  ?  Your 
age  ?"  asks  Estrella,  her  voice  tender  but  anxious. 

"Quien  sabef  The  sisters  at  Chihuahua  got  me  when 
I  must  have  been  about  four.  They  called  me  twelve 
when  I  left  them.  I — I'm  eighteen  now.  But  why  are 
you  bothering  with  these  questions?  Let  me  get  you 
ready  for  la  Polka !" 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  265 

"You  remember  nothing  of  your  past  ?  No  memory 
floats  to  you  ?"  goes  on  Miss  Godfrey,  unheeding. 

"Yes,  my  first  recollection  was  a  kick  of  a  mule,  and 

my  second  a  crack  from  a  quirta,  and  my but  don't 

you  dare  cry  for  me.  I'm  tough  as  rawhide !  Besides 
I  had  a  bauble  once,  a  little  circle.  It  was  of  gold,  so 
I  lost  it  at  monte ;  bet  it  against  a  silver  dollar." 

"A  circle  like  mine  !"  cries  Estrella. 

"Yes ;  did  you  win  it  from  the  monte  man  ?  Besides, 
there  was  a  word." 

"The  word  you  remember !" 

"Oh,  it  was — it  wasn't  even  Americano.  Sounded 
like  the  priests'  Latin.  Guess  I  must  have  heard  it  at 
mass." 

"What  was  it?" 

"Well,  it  was — some  name  or  something.  What  are 
you  asking  me  these  questions  for?  Caramba,  what 
are  you  excited  about?  Here's  the  cherry  juice!  Let 
me  make  those  white  legs  as  brown  as  mine." 

"Think,  think ;  please  think !"  cries  Estrella.  "No 
thing  till  you  think !" 

"Well,  it  was  See-bill !"  Then  Carmelita  snarls  an 
grily  :  "Curse  you,  don't  kiss  me !" 

For  the  other  has  got  her  arm  about  her  and  is  half 
crying,  half  whispering :  "Sybil !  I  believe  you're  my 
sister." 

"Ah,  don't  try  that  dodge  on  me  to  get  my  sympa 
thy,"  scoffs  Carmelita,  pulling  herself  away.  "If  you 
were  my  sister,  do  you  suppose  I  could  stand  by  and 

see  you '  She  snaps  her  pearly  teeth  together  and 

goes  away  murmuring  in  a  shame-faced  manner :  "Sis 
ter — sister!  That  would  be  bad  luck!  Sister — San- 
tissima  Virgen,  then  I  couldn't  hate  her !"  Still,  this  con 
sideration  seems  to  have  some  weight  on  the  dancing 
girl's  mind. 

Quite    shortly    after,    Florito    coming    in    crying: 


266  THE  SPY  COMPANY. 

"Canales  and  his  officers  are  all  ready  for  the  show," 
and  asking  eagerly:  "Let  me  look  at  my  debutante." 
Carmelita,  drawing  him  aside,  whispers:  "Impossible 
to  display  her.  Look  at  her  trying  to  hide  herself  from 
you.  That  extraordinary  attribute  the  Americanas 
call  shame  would  betray  her.  Canales  must  not  guess 
you  have  a  Yankee  with  you.  You  have  been  going  too 
much  lately  with  Americanos  for  your  own  safety.  If 
they  suspected  you  had  been  a  Yankee  spy,  poor  little 
Florito  would  be  stood  against  that  church  wall  and 
filled  as  full  of  escopeta  balls  as  pigs  are  with  stuffing." 

"Santos  y  demonios,  I  believe  you're  right,"  shud 
ders  the  little  fellow,  with  white  lips.  Hastily  throw 
ing  a  sarape  over  Miss  Godfrey,  he  whispers :  "Keep 
close  here,  girl,  for  your  own  life.  Don't  burn  any 
lights.  Carmelita  shall  dance  in  your  place,  and  I  will, 
if  questioned,  say  you  are  ill  of  the  fever  or  the  vomito. 
That  will  keep  them  away !" 

But  Carmelita,  gazing  on  him,  mutters  excitedly 
to  herself:  "What  devilish  thing  has  Florito  in  his 
eyes?  When  Florito  blinks,  look  out  for  him.  Santa 
Maria,  he  has  blinked  four  times !" 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

So  the  two  leave  Estrella  in  the  dark,  bat-haunted, 
insect-crawling  place.  She  hears  Carmelita's  light 
voice  die  away  in  the  distance,  likewise  the  exclama 
tions  of  the  clown,  who  has  become  again  one-legged, 
and  the  acrobatic  boy  as  they  go  out  to  performance. 
Then  after  a  time  from  the  plaza  float  in  the  shouts 


THE  SPY  COMPANY.  267 

and  "Buenos !"  of  the  crowd  as  the  performance  seems 
to  go  merrily  along. 

Though  the  illumination  of  the  torches  in  the  plaza 
puts  a  dull  radiance  into  portions  of  the  room,  Miss 
Godfrey  doesn't  look  out  or  heed  this  very  much.  She 
is  meditating  of  the  sister  she  has  claimed;  and  her 
heart  becomes  tender  to  the  waif  of  the  frontier.  She 
sighs,  thinking  of  the  uncared  for  child  tossed  helpless 
among  the  rough  men  of  the  border,  Mexicans,  Yan 
kees  and  half-breeds,  whose  diversion  Carmelita  must 
have  been  at  fandangos  and  fairs ;  whose  badinage,  ap 
plause  and  admiration  the  dancing  girl  had  been  com 
pelled  to  accept  as  part  of  her  very  business,  controlled 
by  a  master  who  cares  for  nothing  but  dollars.  By 
this  time,  Estrella  gauges  Florito's  character  very  well, 
though  there  is  a  crafty  zenith  of  villainy  in  the  little 
fellow  that  later  will  make  her  blood  run  very  cold  in 
her  veins. 

Then,  under  the  martial  sounds  without,  for  they 
are  changing  sentries,  her  mind  drifts  to  the  man  she 
loves,  but  scarce  hopes  to  see  again.  Thinking  of 
Hampton,  she  shudders  at  Canales. 

About  this  time,  Miss  Godfrey  can  hear  horse's 
hoofs  coming  at  a  gallop  along  the  mountain  trail  from 
the  north  towards  Monterey,  and  every  now  and  then 
the  dull,  distant  thunder  seems  to  float  through  the 
mountain  pass,  though  it  never  gets  nearer  and  there 
is  no  lightning. 

Then  there  are  fiercer  cries  and  great  excitement 
from  without;  and  the  listening  girl  hears  horse's 
hoofs  again,  though  these  go  rapidly  down  into  the 
main  valley.  But  the  hasty  words  of  two  men  passing 
along  the  side  of  the  plaza  by  her  grated  window  tell 
her  that  the  booming  of  distant  thunder  to  the  north 
is  the  American  attack  on  Monterey :  likewise  that  for 


268  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

some  unknown  reason  reinforcements  have  been  sent 
for  by  Canales. 

Hearing  this,  Estrella  wrings  her  hands  and  cries 
out  in  despair :  "Florito  again  promised  that  to-mor 
row  I  should  meet  Hampton  and  his  dashing  Rangers, 
and  now  more  of  these  ruffian  lancers  to  make  escape 
impossible." 

So  it  goes  along  in  her  mind ;  Carmelita !  Hampton ! 
Canales !  each  bringing  misery  to  her,  till  almost  morn 
ing,  the  revelry  being  still  kept  up  outside,  as  these 
aguardiente-drinking  rancheros  are  not  troops  under 
regular  discipline. 

As  daylight  comes  into  the  great  room  through  its 
big  barred  openings,  danger  imminent  and  degrading 
confronts  the  watching  girl.  Carmelita  enters  hastily 
and  goes  nervously  about  exchanging  her  dancing  cos 
tume  for  the  riding  dress  in  which  she  travels.  Then 
she  lights  a  cigarette  and  as  she  puffs  it  commwnes 
with  herself  as  if  trying  to  fight  down  a  rising  con 
science.  "A  courier  has  come  from  the  north.  Canales 
has  sent  to  Muertos  for  reinforcements.  A  colonel  of 
cavalry  may  head  them.  Before  his  commanding  of 
ficer  arrives,  Canales  will  take  action."  She  walks  up 
to  Estrella  and  mutters :  "Jesus,  why  have  you  made 
me  a  devil?  Why  have  you  loved  the  man  I  love? 
Why  have  you  made  his  face  cold  to  me?  Why  have 
you  caused  him  to  turn  from  my  proffered  lips  ?" 

"A  dancing  girl's  lips  are  proffered  to  too  many," 
says  Miss  Godfrey,  rising  haughtily.  Agony  and  de 
spair  have  embittered  her  tongue. 

"Oh,  yes,  a  dancing  girl,  but  still  like  you,  cold 
Northern  creature,  immaculate.  Caramba,  don't  turn 
from  me  as  if  I  were  contaminated — immaculate  as 
you !  I  was  a  child  when  I  first  saw  the  handsome 
Captain  and  loved  him,  as  he  kept  me  from  a  beating 
— a  child !  Since  that  time  I  have  held  my  lips  for  him 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  269 

as  surely,  as  safety,  as  you,  cold  Northern  beauty,  have 
preserved  your  lips.  It's  easy  to  be  virtuous  when  one 
loves  but  one  man  and — and  he  won't  love  you."  Then 
she  cries  petulantly  :  "Stop  kissing  me !" 

For  Estrella  has  got  Carmelita  in  her  arms  and  is 
caressing  and  sobbing  over  her,  and  blessing  her  be 
cause  Sharpe  Hampton  has  not  succumbed  to  her 
witcheries  and  allurements. 

"Oh,  you  needn't  thank  me — thank  him.  When 
Sharpe  has  lain  out  on  the  open  plain  at  night,  when 
Florito  and  I  had  been  engaged  in  going  through  the 
Mexican  lines  and  bringing  him  information,  I  have 
crawled  to  him — to  kiss  him ;  and  in  his  sleep  he  has 
murmured  your  name.  Oh,  I  could  have  driven  knife 
through  him  or  through  myself.  That's  why  I  have 
kept  from  him  your —  Carmelita  snaps  her  teeth 

together,  but  hangs  her  head  in  shame-faced  way. 
"That's  why  you're  here  about  to  be —  She  pauses 
again  and  cries :  "No,  no !  You  have  called  me  sis 
ter  ;  I  must  save  you  from  that !"  and  hastily  throws  a 
cloak  over  Estrella. 

"Save  me  from  what?" 

"Florito!  That  little  villain  must  sacrifice  you  to 
save  his  beastly  life.  Made  arrogant  by  aguardiente, 
he  foolishly  showed  the  gold  you  had  given  him  and 
what  he  had  picked  up  by  other  efforts,  some  of  it  from 
the  man  you  love.  Canales  always  wants  all  the  gold 
he  sees.  The  guerrilla  officer  had  heard  reports  that 
Florito  had  been  agent  for  los  Yankees;  so  they  will 
shoot  Florito  for  a  spy  if  they  spare  not  his  life  for 
some  big  ransom:  Florito  knows  that,  and  his  big 
ransom  will  be  you — your  charms  and  beauty." 

"Me !"  shrieks  Estrella,  springing  up,  and  passes  to 
the  door  as  if  to  try  to  fly,  but  Carmelita  puts  detain 
ing  arm  upon  her,  and  mutters  sadly :  "Too  late." 

For  staggering  in,  is  little  Florito,  his  cunning  face 


270  THE    SPY    COMPANY. 

very  pale,  his  snake-like  eyes  excited,  his  lithe  limbs 
trembling.  A  burning  torch  is  in  his  hand,  as  if  he 
feared  Estrella  might  conceal  herself.  This  he  sticks 
into  the  mud  floor  of  the  room,  murmuring  apologeti 
cally,  half  to  himself,  half  to  his  victim :  "There  is 
nothing  for  it.  Canales,  if  I  give  you  to  him,  will 
after" — his  tongue  seems  ashamed  to  utter  the  devil 
ish  thought — "after  a  time  permit  you  to  be  ransomed. 
That  money  the  guerrilla  officer  will  divide  with  me. 
But  otherwise — he  accuses  me  of  horrible  things — me 
a  Mexican  patriot !  He  hints  I  am  a  Yankee  spy,  and 
threatens  a  court-martial.  A  drumhead  don't  take  ten 
minutes."  Suddenly  the  little  chap  listens  and  gasps, 
tremblingly :  "Dios,  I  can  hear  the  guard  loading  their 
arms  now !"  To  this  he  adds  in  devilish  yet  faltering 
philosophy :  "Man,  when  his  life  is  in  danger,  must  do 
everything  to  protect  it.  It  is  his  duty,  you  see,  Senor- 
ita  Godfrey,  his  duty." 

For  Estrella  has  thrown  herself  upon  her  knees  and 
is  pleading:  "For  God's  sake,  don't — don't  give  me 
over  to  Canales."  But  seeing  he  still  moves  towards 
the  door,  the  American  girl  suddenly  springs  up,  com 
mands  hoarsely:  "You  shall  not!"  and  drawing  her 
revolver,  sights  him  by  the  torchlight.  To  Carmelita 
she  calls:  "Bar  that  door!"  and  to  the  showman  says 
sternly :  "Move  an  inch  to  tell  them  you  have  me  cap 
tive  here, -and  it  is  your  last  step!"  The  pistol  is 
leveled  very  straight  and  doesn't  tremble. 

But  the  little  fellow,  with  a  mocking  laugh,  still 
moves  from  her. 

"Then  God  forgive  you  and  forgive  me!"  mutters 
the  brave  girl,  and  shoots  to  kill. 

But  the  lock  on  her  revolver  only  snaps.  She  turns 
the  cylinder  again,  and  aiming  very  straight,  pulls  the 
trigger  once  more,  but  no  report  answers  the  sharp 
click  of  the  lock.  To  her  jeers  Florito :  "You  forget 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  271 

you've  left  your  pistols  aside  when  Carmelita  took  you 
to  see  the  wild  flowers  in  the  glen." 

"Oh,  you  conscienceless  wretch  !"  cries  Estrella,  turn 
ing  in  despairing  reproach  upon  the  dancing  girl.  "You, 
whom  I  once  called  sister,  you !"  Then  she  falters : 
"Deserted!"  for  Carmelita,  with  a  muttered  "Forgive 
me !"  has  run  out  of  the  door,  and  Florito  has  darted 
after  her  and  is  now  bolting  the  door  upon  the  outside. 

The  girl  hears  the  bars  coming  down  one  after  the 
other,  then  the  click  of  a  rusty  lock,  though  the  dastard 
calls  through  in  guarded  voice :  "Courage,  I  want  all 
your  ransom.  I  shall  not  give  you  up  till  I  am  look 
ing  at  the  guns  of  the  firing  party.  Dios  de  me  Madre, 
I  am  a  man  of  honor !" 

Fortunately  in  this  moment  of  despair,  Estrella  God 
frey's  pistols  are  unfireable,  else  she  would  kill  herself 
and  thus  make  sure  Canales  never  will  put  his  paws 
upon  her.  But  now  the  very  helplessness  of  her  situa 
tion  forces  her  to  inertness.  Gazing  about  the  big, 
empty,  mud-floored  room  into  which  she  has  been 
locked,  the  girl  feels  sure  its  doors  will  never  open 
except  for  her  delivery  to  the  bandit  chieftain.  She 
looks  at  her  nude  white  limbs  and  uncovered  should 
ers  and  shudders :  "I  will  not  be  dragged  out  in  this 
shameless  garb,"  and  hurriedly  throws  off  the  light 
costume  of  the  dancing  girl  and  contrives  to  put  her 
self  once  more  in  the  Indian  riding  dress  she  had  worn. 

During  this,  she  has  once  or  twice,  attracted  by 
noises  in  the  plaza,  looked  out  with  staring  eyes.  By 
the  increasing  morning  light,  she  has  seen  apparently 
a  drumhead  court-martial  of  three  or  four  officers 
gathered  together  outside  the  church.  It  is  scarce 
three  hundred  feet  away.  Before  them  she  recognizes 
Florito.  She  knows  he  will  not  tell  of  her  until  his 
last  chance  is  gone.  She  is  too  valuable  to  share  her 
ransom  with  another. 


2 72  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

But  now  what  passes  before  her  swimming  eyes 
makes  her  shiver  as  if  she  had  the  ague.  She  sees  the 
firing  party  being  drawn  up.  Florito  is  about  to  be 
dragged  to  the  fatal  wall.  With  wild  gesticulation  he 
has  beckoned  imploringly  Canales  apart  and  talked  hur 
riedly  to  him,  and  that  guerrilla  chief,  with  long,  black 
moustache,  dark,  ferocious,  merciless  eyes,  is  laughing 
and  looking  at  her  place  of  imprisonment,  and  giving 
some  hurried  orders.  But  just  here  a  mounted  man, 
coming  down  the  trail  from  the  north,  hurries  into  the 
plaza,  and  draws  the  scoundrel's  attention  from  her  by 
crying  out :  "Americanos!" 

The  laugh  and  triumph  stop  on  the  guerrilla  chief's 
face. 

Estrella  sees  his  officers  hurriedly  marshaling  all  his 
men.  "Surely  to  seize  a  poor  girl,  they  wouldn't  need 
so  many,"  she  thinks,  and  noting  Canales  point  up  the 
canon,  she  follows  his  motion  and  gives  a  gasp  of  crazy 

joy- 
Coming  down  from  the  north  along  the  trail  are  a 

company  of  mounted  men.  By  their  garb  and  arma 
ment,  she  knows  they  are  Rangers,  and  looking  with 
all  her  eyes,  can't  believe  them.  Her  limbs  tremble  as 
the  fear  of  death  is  lifted  from  them.  She  whispers : 
.'The  Spy  Company!"  then  cries:  "Sharpe  Hampton! 
He's  here.  I  am  saved."  To  herself  she  laughs :  "Can- 
ales's  men  are  gliding  away.  They  have  no  wish  for 
battle  with  even  these  few  Americanos."  Then  pauses 
horrified  in  her  triumph,  for  she  notes  the  Mexicans 
are  preparing  an  ambuscade,  some  fifty  of  them  going 
quietly  with  their  escopetas  into  the  church  that  the 
Texans  must  ride  past.  The^rest  are  hurriedly  mount 
ing  and  arraying  themselves.  She  sees  under  the  mists 
of  the  morning  a  cloud  of  dust  very  distant  coming  up 
the  broad  Saltillo  valley.  She  remembers  Carmelita's 
words,  and  mutters  to  herself,  with  white  lips :  "Re- 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  273 

enforcements  from  Muertos.  It  is  an  ambuscade ! 
Hampton,  pursuing  the  cavalry,  will  ride  into  the  dead 
ly  fusillade  from  the  church.  I  must  warn  him." 

She  would  lift  up  her  voice  and  scream  out,  but 
knows  the  Texans  are  too  far  distant :  "A  few  cries 
won't  frighten  Sharpe  Hampton,"  she  thinks;  then 
suddenly  grows  very  pale.  For  by  the  rising  sun  she 
sees  from  each  house  and  even  from  the  church  itself 
the  mozos  and  poblanos  of  the  town  are  waving  white 
flags  and  handkerchiefs,  and  shudders :  "Flags  of 
truce  to  kill  the  man  I  love  !"*  In  her  excited  anguish, 
she  attacks  the  door  with  her  little  feet  and  hands  as  if 
she  would  break  it  down  and  run  out  to  warn  him. 

Then,  seeing  oak  planks  are  too  strong  for  her  fragile 
strength,  she  ceases  bruising  her  flesh  against  them  and 
for  Sharpe  Hampton's  sake  forces  herself  to  become 
cool  and  think  with  all  her  might. 

Suddenly  she  takes  the  cylinder  from  her  revolver 
and  examines  it.  A  second  later  she  cries  joyously : 
"Florito  only  spoiled  the  caps !"  and  goes  to  refilling  the 
nipples  with  powder  and  from  a  little  pouch  in  her  belt 
recaps  the  weapon. 

Running  to  the  window,  white  flags  are  floating 
everywhere ;  no  signs  of  ambush  from  the  church,  and 
Canales  heading  his  squadron,  is  apparently  retreating 
down  the  defile  to  lure  the  Texans  on. 

Putting  the  revolver  up  through  the  grating  of  the 
window,  Estrella  fires  two  shots  into  the  air  in  quick 
succession,  and  finds  it  gives  the  Texans  warning. 

The  little  command  of  some  thirty  Rangers,  that 
have  been  coming  down  the  trail  cautiously,  though 

*  This  same  stratagem  was  employed  by  the  Mexicans  at  the 
Battle  of  Huamantla,  a  year  afterward.  By  it  Captain  Sam  H. 
Walker  of  the  Rifles  was  slain,  sacrificing  his  life  to  save  his 
company  in  so  heroic  a  manner  that  his  death  thrilled  the 
whole  United  Stztes.-*-Editor. 


274  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

they  have  quickened  their  pace  at  seeing  the  flags  of 
truce  thrown  not  only  from  the  ordinary  dwellings  of 
the  town,  but  from  the  church  itself,  suddenly  pause 
at  the  pistol  shots. 

She  sees  Hampton  hastily  knock  up  two  or  three 
rifles  that  are  leveled  towards  the  opening  from  which 
she  fired,  and  whispers  to  herself :  "Thank  God ;  they 
know  it  is  a  friend."  Then  noting  that  the  Texans 
after  reconnoitering  and  discovering  Canales'  mounted 
lancers  at  the  other  end  of  the  street,  turn  their  horses' 
heads  and  ride  back  in  seeming  flight  up  the  canon, 
she  wrings  her  hands  in  anguish  and  moans :  "They  are 
retreating.  I  have  saved  Sharpe,  but  taken  the  last 
hope  from  myself."  Though  she  can  hardly  believe 
her  eyes,  and,  remembering  Carmelita's  description  of 
the  dread  nature  of  this  command,  sneers :  "For  men 
who  want  to  die,  this  Spy  Company  seem  to  take  very 
good  care  of  their  lives." 

At  this  moment,  seeing  the  backs  of  the  Rangers,  the 
lancers  who  are  on  horseback,  headed  by  Canales  him 
self,  can  no  longer  hold  themselves.  With  shouts  of 
rage  and  cries  of  victory,  in  their  excited  Mexican  way, 
they  spur  past  the  church  and  up  the  canon  after  the 
retreating  Texans  and  nearly  reach  them.  Then  in  a 
flash  all  is  changed.  The  Texans  wheel  quick  as  ter 
riers  whose  tails  are  grabbed,  and  meet  the  lancers  with 
shots  from  deadly  revolvers  so  coolly  discharged  that 
almost  to  each  report  a  ranchero  falls  off  his  horse. 

"Oh,  merciful  Heaven,  they  killed  nearly  twenty  at 
the  first  fire ;  oh,  those  murderous  pistols !"  screams  the 
excited  girl.  "Ah,  they're  all  coming  this  way  to 
gether."  For,  with  pistol  shots  ringing  out,  the  Spy 
Company  is  now  in  the  very  midst  of  the  lancers,  the 
whole  concourse  coming  into  the  town  in  hideous  med 
ley,  dying  men  falling  from  their  horses  at  every  jump. 
Estrella  nearly  laughs  as  she  sees  the  boy  lieutenant 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  275 

called  "The  Bravo,"  coolly  smoking  a  cigarette,  dodge 
under  a  ranchero's  lance  and  shoot  him  down  like 
lightning. 

So  they  come  past  the  captive's  window,  into  the 
plaza,  in  front  of  the  church  from  which  the  Mexicans 
in  ambuscade  dare  not  shoot,  being  as  liable  to  hit 
friend  as  foe.  Then,  Estrella  gives  another  elated 
scream,  for  though  shooting  and  fighting  to  its  very 
gates,  as  the  Texans  reach  the  stone-walled  convent- 
garden,  they  swing  off  and  ride  in.  Here,  springing 
off  their  horses,  they  man  the  cactus-covered  wall  and 
pelt  with  rifle-shots  the  Mexicans  in  the  church  oppo 
site. 

"Oh,  what  a  lovely  ruse !"  yells  the  girl,  and,  danc 
ing  about  with  excitement,  careless  of  shots,  some  of 
which  have  lodged  quite  near  to  her,  continues  her 
comment :  "They  have  hardly  lost  a  man,  and  now 
with  their  rifles  against  escopetas,  will  soon  make  those 
in  the  church  throw  up  their  hands  and  wave  real  flags 
of  truce.  It  is  the  last  of  Canales.  Sharpe  killed  him." 

For  she  has  seen  the  guerrilla  chief  fall  from  his 
horse  to  Hampton's  pistol  as  the  Ranger  wheeled  into 
the  convent  garden. 

Then  another  look  comes  into  Estrella's  eyes. 
Though  this  tender  creature  has  no  pity  for  the  man 
who  would  have  made  her  his  prey,  the  bodies  of  two 
or  three  Texans  lying  down  the  road  stabbed  to  death 
with  lances,  make  her  wring  her  hands. 

But  the  girl  has  little  time  for  sympathy.  Her  eyes 
are  too  much  engrossed  with  the  combat  that  goes  on 
about  her,  at  its  opening,  quite  in  favor  of  the  Ameri 
cans,  whose  deadly  rifle-balls  search  each  orifice  and 
window  in  the  church  opposite  to  them,  slaughtering 
the  rancheros,  who  fire  upon  them.  So  the  thing  goes 
on  for  an  hour.  Then  the  Texan  fire  grows  more  de 
liberate  ;  apparently  they  don't  care  to  use  a  great  deal 


276  THE  SPY  COMPANY. 

of  ammunition.  She  wonders  if  it  is  to  make  prepara 
tion  for  the  regiment  of  lancers  she  can  see  coming  up 
the  Saltillo  plain,  with  them  a  light  field-piece  heavily 
horsed. 

"Sharpe  must  be  warned  to  retreat,"  she  thinks,  "be 
fore  numbers  overwhelm  him !"  and  would  go  forth 
through  the  hailstorm  of  bullets  in  the  plaza  to  give 
him  information;  but  the  strong  oak  door  locked  and 
barred  by  Florito  makes  this  impossible. 

She  knows  its  strength  too  well  to  attack  it.  Into 
her  mind,  made  active  by  excitement,  flashes :  "There 
may  be  some  other  way !" 

She  goes  looking  about  the  great  apartment,  which 
up  to  this  time,  she  had  only  carelessly  inspected,  be 
ing  kept  from  its  distant  portions  by  its  wandering  ala- 
crans  and  centipedes.  Its  recesses  are  dark,  but  re 
lighting  the  torch  Florito  has  left  behind  him,  she  makes 
a  hasty  search. 

Finally  discovering  a  little  portal  unfastened,  which 
apparently  leads  to  the  rest  of  the  building,  she  opens 
it  and  goes  groping  by  torchlight  through  the  dark 
passageways  and  cells  of  the  old  convent,  disturbing 
now  and  again  a  snake  that  rustles  from  her.  All  the 
time  the  faint  reports  of  musketry  and  rifles  outside 
show  the  fight  is  going  on.  In  other  days  she  would 
have  gone  shuddering,  crouching,  trembling  through 
the  gloomy  route ;  now  she  strides  with  revolver  in  one 
fair  hand  and  torch  in  the  other. 

Finally  she  finds  to  her  eager  searching  a  passage 
way,  leading  first  into  a  little  chapel,  then  into  the  con 
vent  once  used  by  the  old  priests.  The  din  outside  of 
this  is  terrific,  showing  that  she  is  close  to  the  combat. 
Issuing  very  cautiously  from  this,  she  crouches  down 
behind  a  stone  balustrade,  looking  from  a  low  terrace, 
despite  musket-balls  and  escopeta  slugs  that  whistle 
about  her,  upon  an  awful  sight. 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  277 

The  day  is  a  bright  tropic  one.  The  hot  sun  shines 
down  through  a  little  heat  haze  upon  the  church  across 
the  square,  shrouded  in  the  smoke  of  its  musketry.  In 
the  foreground  are  the  orange  trees,  plants  and  flow 
ers  of  the  priests'  garden,  their  leaves  dropping  and 
their  twigs  and  branches  falling  to  the  earth,  cut  away 
by  pelting  musketry.  Just  in  front  of  these,  manning 
the  cactus-covered  wall  of  stone,  are  the  Spy  Company, 
marketing  their  reckless  lives  at  a  very  stiff  price  in 
Mexican  blood.  Wounded  and  unwounded,  the  slender 
line  of  rangers  defend  this  wall  against  tremendous 
odds,  for  already  some  of  the  Mexican  reinforcements 
have  arrived  from  Muertos.  Two  or  three  dead  bodies 
lie  in  the  orange  trees  of  the  garden  and  a  dying  gam 
bler,  lying  beside  them,  desperately  maimed,  is  de 
liriously  shrieking  out :  "Copper  the  ace !"  The  rest 
are  all  at  their  posts,  and  one,  a  youth,  whose  head  is 
swathed  with  bloody  bandage,  and  whose  pale  face  and 
ashen  lips  foretell  coming  death,  not  strong  enough  to 
stand,  is  half  leaning  on  a  couple  of  saddles  and  firing 
his  rifle  slowly  and  accurately,  doing  his  duty  till  he 
dies. 

Another,  an  old,  hard-featured  scout  of  the  frontier, 
is  patting  him  on  the  back  and  pouring  down  the  dying 
boy's  white  lips  the  last  drop  of  water  from  his  canteen, 
and  laughing :  "Bully,  little  Johnny,  that  was  a  great 
shot  of  yours.  That  swatted  a  Greaser  sergeant." 

Further  down  the  line  she  hears  a  Saxon  voice 
shouting  of  mounting  guard  in  St.  James's  Palace,  and 
looking,  sees  the  English  lieutenant  who  Carmelita  said 
was  a  lord,  with  a  great  big  wound  in  his  breast, 
propped  up  and  shooting  his  rifle,  but  between  shots 
raving  of  the  Royal  Horse  Guards  Blue,  and  lords  and 
honorables  and  dukes  and  duchesses. 

Behind  this  line  is  a  sunny-haired  boy  she  recognizes 
as  "The  Bravo"  from  Carmelita's  description.  He  is 


278  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

walking  up  and  down,  coolly  smoking  his  cigarette, 
though  he  has  a  cocked  revolver  in  his  other  hand,  now 
and  then  giving  orders  to  the  rangers,  and  selecting 
places  for  them  to  direct  their  fire. 

But  even  this  doesn't  impress  the  girl  so  much  as 
the  figure  of  Sharpe  Hampton,  who  is  just  springing 
on  horse  ready  to  dart  out  into  the  hail  of  bullets. 
Though  noting  the  awful  danger  to  him,  the  little  Bravo 
has  stepped  up,  and  between  puffs  of  his  cigarette  has 
called :  "Sharpe,  don't  try  it.  The  boys  can't  spare 
you  this  trip !" 

To  him  Hampton  says :  "I  have  got  to.  We're  at 
the  very  last  cartridge.  The  ammunition  mule  lies  dead 
three  hundred  yards  up  the  street.  I  have  got  to. 
How's  Harrowly  ?"  He  nods  towards  the  English  lieu 
tenant. 

"Going.  He's  raving  of  Hyde  Park  and  he's  got  into 
the  aristocracy.  He's  fighting  just  the  same,  gritty 
but  going." 

"Then,  when  I'm  away,  you're  in  command.  Re 
member  Worth's  orders  are  to  hold  this  pass  so  that  no 
cavalry  and  light  troops  get  behind  him  while  he's  at 
tacking  the  Loma  and  the  Bishop's  Palace.  Hold  it 
till- 

"Till  I  stop  smoking  cigarettes,"  laughs  the  boy. 

"That  will  be  long  enough,"  answers  Hampton. 
"Now,  tell  the  boys  to  keep  down  the  Greasers'  fire  till 
I  get  round  the  corner  of  the  plaza." 

Miss  Godfrey  is  about  to  cry  out  to  him,  but  just  then 
a  man  falls  dead  from  the  wall  just  in  front  of  her, 
and  before  her  pale  lips  can  frame  an  outcry,  Hampton, 
bending  low  in  his  saddle,  dashes  through  the  half- 
open  gate.  The  Mexican  musketry  seems  to  give  him 
heavy  greeting.  But  a  yell  from  one  or  two  of  the 
men  further  down  the  wall  tells  her  Hampton  has  dis- 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  279 

appeared  round  the  corner  of  the  plaza.  Then  she 
sinks  down  to  pray  for  him. 

Apparently  her  praying  is  not  in  vain,  for  distant 
screams  of  rage  and  "Carambas!"  and  "Carafos!" 
float  from  the  church  opposite,  and  the  Mexican  shoot 
ing  is  stronger  than  ever  despite  the  faint  replies  of  the 
almost  cartridgeless  Texans. 

Then  there  is  a  yell,  and  though  the  bullets  fly  faster 
from  the  church,  Hampton  comes  dashing  in,  springs 
off  his  dying  horse,  and  throws  two  big  leather  bags 
down  in  the  garden  behind  the  wall,  and  says  to  the 
Bravo :  "Close  call !  they  shot  my  sombrero  off  and 
clipped  one  of  my  spurs." 

Then  the  men  come  gradually  down  one  or  two  at  a 
time,  to  replenish  their  cartridge  pouches,  though  a  few 
old  frontiersmen  only  take  powder  and  ball,  loading 
their  rifles  in  the  Kentucky  way  and  using  patched 
balls  that  go  very  straight. 

During  this,  Estrella  is  trying  to  get  down  into  the 
garden,  but  finds  no  outlet  from  the  terrace.  Once  or 
twice  she  wildly  calls  her  sweetheart's  name.  In  the 
noise  of  battle  the  girl  isn't  heard.  For  now  the  Tex 
ans  are  intent  upon  a  regiment  of  cavalry  coming  up 
from  the  valley;  ahead  of  it  a  field-piece  dragged  by 
twenty  horses  up  the  steep  path,  and  the  Bravo  has 
cried:  ''There's  a  gun  coming  around  the  corner, 
Sharpe." 

"Then  it  must  never  be  fired,"  is  the  terse  reply. 
Estrella  hears  the  orders  quietly  given,  and  a  detail 
tolled  off,  each  man  in  rotation,  to  shoot  the  first  Mexi 
can  gunner  putting  lintstock  to  that  cannon. 

Almost  as  the  words  are  spoken,  there  is  the  quick 
trample  of  hoofs,  and  the  gun,  dragged  by  twenty 
horses,  rapidly  enters  the  plaza  and  is  placed  in  posi 
tion,  the  Texans  holding  their  fire. 

But  as  they  wheel  the  field-piece  into  position,  there 


280  THE  SPY  COMPANY. 

is  a  noise  as  if  a  bunch  of  firecrackers  was  exploded 
from  the  wall,  and  Estrella  sees  half  a  dozen  can 
noneers  go  down,  though  one,  apparently  the  sergeant 
of  the  section,  takes  up  the  lintstock ;  but  to  the  crack 
of  Hampton's  rifle,  he  falls  dead. 

Another  seizes  the  port  fire,  but  a  frontiersman  shoots 
him  down ;  he  staggers  from  the  gun  and  tumbles  dy 
ing  on  the  plaza.  And  so  on,  every  man  trying  to  fire 
that  cannon  dies,  till  all  the  gunners  have  been  shot 
away.  Then  the  Mexican  officers  desperately  put  in  a 
detail  of  dismounted  lancers  to  do  the  work,  but  none 
lives  to  reach  the  cannon ;  and  it  stands  only  attended 
by  dead  men.* 

All  this  time  the  rest  of  the  Texans  are  keeping  down 
the  fire  from  the  church.  They  are  not  quite  so  many 
now.  One  lies  moaning,  with  an  escopeta  ball  through 
both  shoulders;  the  boy  who  was  mortally  wounded 
and  fighting  on,  has  given  a  gasp  and  dropped  his 
rifle;  and  the  English  lieutenant  has  screamed  de 
liriously  :  "Charge !  God  save  the  Queen !"  and  fallen 
from  the  wall. 

Of  this  Estrella  has  seen  little ;  frantically  trying  to 
find  entrance  to  the  garden,  she  has  left  the  terrace  and 
is  exploring  the  vaults  underneath  the  chapel.  Now 
discovering  a  little  narrow  portal,  she  has  come 
crouching  through  the  musketry-pelted  orange  trees  of 
the  garden  and  is  within  a  few  feet  of  Hampton. 

Even  as  she  raises  her  voice  to  call  him,  a  shuddering 
dread  palsies  her  tongue.  The  man  she  loves,  remark 
ing  to  the  sunny-faced  boy  they  call  "The  Bravo": 
"Hang  it,  they've  got  riatas  around  that  gun.  They 
must  never  get  it  into  the  shelter  of  the  church !"  pulls 
both  revolvers  from  his  belt,  cocks  them  and  runs  out 
of  the  open  gate  into  the  hail  of  bullets  on  the  plaza. 

At  this,  even  the  little  lieutenant,  throwing  his  cigar- 

*  This  happened  also  at  Mier  in  1842. — Editor. 


THE  SPY  COMPANY.  *l 

cite  away,  mutters  hopelessly :  "That's  certain  death !" 

Springing  to  the  wall  and  clambering  up  a  little  em 
brasure  in  it,  Estrella  peers  over  and  sees  Hampton 
running  straight  at  the  six-pounder,  that  is  surrounded 
by  a  new  detail  of  men. 

As  he  comes,  half  a  hundred  muskets  from  the 
church  across  the  plaza  are  leveled  at  him.  She  shrieks 
"Sharpe,  come  back!"  and  frantically  waves  something 
she  has  plucked  from  her  belt,  beseeching  him  to  re 
turn. 

Then  there  are  cries  of  astonishment  from  the  Tex- 
ans.  Hampton  has  shot  the  gunners  all  about  the  can 
non,  and  disabled  the  gun  itself  by  firing  up  its  vent. 
Not  a  Mexican  hand  has  been  raised  against  him  as  he 
comes  running  back. 

But  now  from  the  church  arise  enough  anathemas 
and  curses  to  almost  unsanctify  it,  and  volley  after  vol 
ley  of  vengeful  musketry. 

But  the  Spy  Company's  fire  is  very  deadly  and  makes 
the  escopeta  shots  inaccurate.  So  Sharpe  comes  into 
the  garden,  as  if  he  had  a  charmed  life.  Here  he  says 
shortly  and  sternly  :  "Boys,  what  dastard  of  you  raised 
a  flag  of  truce  upon  this  wall  and  made  me  murder 
those  six  Mexican  gunners  ?" 

"Murder  Greasers?"  scream  his  men. 

"Yes,  not  one  of  them  defended  himself.  They 
thought  we  had  surrendered.  I  saw  the  white  rag  as 
I  hurried  back !" 

"Bedad,  we'd  no  more  wave  a  flag  of  truce  than 
the  divil  would  drink  holy  water,"  jeers  an  Irish  ranger. 

The  Bravo  simply  says :  "Not  one  of  us,  Captain, 
hoisted  a  white  rag." 

Then  they  all  pause,  astounded,  for  a  sweet  girl's 
voice  from  a  cactus-screened  part  of  the  wall  cries  over 
the  din :  "I  did." 

Gazing  at  her,  Hampton   gasps:   "Strella!    Good 


282  THE    SPY    COMPANY. 

God!    you  here?"  and  reaching  up,  plucks  her  to  a 
place  of  greater  safety. 

"I  did!"  says  Miss  Godfrey,  stoutly.  "The  Mexi 
cans  this  morning  waved  flags  of  truce  to  lure  you  into 
ambush.  Turn  about  was  fair  play.  I  waved  a  white 
handkerchief  to  save  your  life." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CARMELITA'S  RETURN. 

With  this,  the  rangers  lining  the  wall  near  them  yell 
with  laughter,  even  as  they  fight,  and  one  cries : 
"Waugh,  did  the  Greasers  up  with  thar  own  med'cine !" 
And  another  shouts  :  "She's  clean  grit,  Sharpe !" 

"Yes,  I — I  hope  I  am !"  answers  Estrella,  radiant  in 
the  thought  that  she  has  saved,  if  but  for  a  moment, 
the  existence  of  the  man  she  loves;  adding  to  the  in 
quiring  and  astounded  faces  turned  to  her:  "I'm 
Sharpe  Hampton's  girl !  I  journeyed  all  the  way  from 
San  Antonio  to  tell  him  not  to  throw  away  his  life." 
In  the  seclusion  of  a  cactus-screened  embrasure  she 
holds  up  her  lips  for  his  caress. 

Though  his  hungry  eyes  never  leave  her,  the  Captain 
makes  no  move  to  take  her  to  his  heart,  but  whispers 
in  a  dazed  yet  moody  way :  "You  here  ?" 

"Yes,  here  to  tell  you  to — to  live  for  my  sake." 

"Impossible!"  A  horror  is  on  the  Texan's  face. 
"Don't  you  understand?"  he  shudders.  "Don't  you 
know,  girl,  I  have  killed  your  father?  Your  father's 
blood  is  between  us,"  and  would  turn  from  her  to  give 
some  orders. 

But  she  answers  :  "No  father's  blood !  You  thought 
you  killed  my  father,  when  it  was  only  a  vile  wretch 
impersonating  him.  The  shooting  down  of  those  vil- 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  283 

lains  was  as  great  a  kindness  as  man  ever  did  for  wo 
man." 

"Not  your  father?"  Sharpe  passes  his  hand  in  a 
dazed  way  over  his  -face  and  mutters :  "Impossible !" 

"Impossible!  Would  a  daughter's  lips  salute  her 
father's  slayer?"  cries  Estrella,  and  bashfully  yet  ten 
derly  kisses  the  doubt  from  her  lover's  face. 

Then  the  pent  up  passion  of  his  long  despair  breaks 
out  in  Sharpe  Hampton.  In  a  hungry,  crazy  way, 
his  arms  go  round  his  sweetheart  as  he  listens  to 
her  hurried  yet  wondrous  tale.  At  its  close  he  whis 
pers,  "Thank  God,  you've  made  me  want  to  live !"  and 
gives  her  kisses  so  ardent  that  they  reward  the  girl, 
who  is  half  swooning  on  his  breast,  for  all  the  dangers 
and  troubles  of  her  long  journey  from  San  Antonio. 

At  a  distance  the  fire  of  battle  had  illumined  his  fea 
tures,  but  now  close  to  him,  Estrella  sees  what  this 
man  must  have  suffered,  and  her  heart  goes  out  to  him 
even  more.  She  nestles  to  him,  and  even  with  the 
bullets  smiting  the  wall  against  which  they  lean,  the 
two  go  into  a  short,  blissful  love  dream. 

But  now  some  hasty  orders  from  "The  Bravo"  call 
Hampton  to  active  combat.  With  a  hasty,  fervid  clasp, 
he  shudders :  "My  own,  those  devils  of  guerrillas  will 
butcher  you  as  well  as  us  if  they  break  in,"  and  springs 
from  her  to  do  desperate  battle  for  her  safety  against 
constantly  increasing  odds :  for  more  troops  of  Mexi 
can  cavalry  have  come,  and  they  now  charge  up  to 
the  ruined  gate,  hoping  to  press  in  by  very  force  of 
numbers.  But  the  Texans,  coolly  waiting  till  the 
rancheros  get  within  revolver  range,  open  such  a  fire 
on  the  assaulting  horsemen  that  their  bodies  are  piled 
up  around  the  convent  entrance  and  riderless  steeds 
run  everywhere  about  the  plaza. 

So  the  battle  goes  on.  But  now,  the  Texans,  under 
the  hot  sun,  suffer  for  want  of  water.  And  the  Irish- 


284  THE  SPY   COMPANY. 

man,  coming  up,  touches  his  hat  and  says :  "  'Ave  yes 
iny  spirits  left,  Capt'in?  Langdon's  wounded  so  he's 
faintin' !" 

"Spirits?"  cries  Estrella.  "Florito's!  Give  me  two 
men  to  go  with  me.  I  can  get  spirits." 

"And  water  also?"  asks  Hampton,  eagerly. 

"Yes,  I  think  so.  Tell  two  men  to  go  with  me." 
She  runs  off,  followed  by  two  rangers,  through  the  lit 
tle  chapel  and  long  passageways,  and  coming  into  the 
big  mud-floored  room  of  the  woman's  convent,  finds  to 
her  joy  a  couple  of  bottles  of  aguardiente  in  the  saddle 
bags  of  the  showman  and  four  or  five  pails  of  water 
that  had  been  brought  in  for  the  cooking;  likewise 
some  frijoles  and  tasajo.  With  these  she  returns  and 
begins  to  minister  to  the  rangers,  begging  Hampton  to 
have  the  wounded  carried  into  the  little  chapel,  where 
she  attends  them,  pouring  spirits  down  their  fainting 
lips  and  giving  them  the  attention  and  care  that  women 
give  when  men  most  need  it. 

Now  the  talk  is  through  the  command  even  as  they 
fight  on  that  Sharpe  Hampton's  girl,  the  one  he  had 
been  crazy  for  and  wished  to  die  for,  has  come  to  him. 
Looking  on  their  leader's  face,  they  know  he  wants  to 
live.  He  becomes  the  rara  avis  of  the  company,  the 
only  one  who  cares  very  much  for  life.  A  haggard 
frontiersman  voices  this,  between  rifle-shots  :  "I'm  glad 
Sharpe's  changed  his  mind  about  gettin'  rubbed  out — 
but,  by  Hell,  I  ain't.  My  wife  and  darter  are  still 
Comanche  squaws." 

This  idea  seems  now  to  affect  the  Texan  Captain. 
More  Mexican  reinforcements  arriving,  he  mutters 
to  Estrella,  who,  despite  his  orders,  has  crawled  to  his 
side  on  the  firing  line :  "God,  girl,  you  shouldn't  have 
come  here.  You  make  coward  thoughts!  J  get  to 
thinking  only  how  to  save  you.  But  I  can't  leave  my 
wounded  to  be  butchered  here." 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  285 

"Yes,  fight  it  out,  Sharpe.  Fight  it  out !"  she  whis 
pers.  "I  loved  you  because  you  were  a  brave  man.  I 
wouldn't  love  you  if  you  were  a  coward." 

Looking  at  the  girl,  the  Texan  Captain's  face, 
though  at  times  it  has  a  wild  light  of  happiness,  at 
others,  is  covered  with  unutterable  despair.  To  her  he 
once  mutters :  "I  don't  think  we  can  get  away.  We 
have  only  fifteen  unwounded  men  now,  and  the  cursed 
Greasers  are  bringing  up  more  troops  from  that  valley. 
Were  I  alone,  I  wouldn't  mind — but  you.  Besides, 
the  cartridges  are  getting  low  again.  We  have  had  to 
use  so  many  to  keep  them  from  firing  that  field-piece, 
and  they're  bringing  up  another  one.  When  that 
comes,  if  I  don't  stop  its  discharge,  why,  I  reckon  we're 
gone." 

About  this  time  there  are  wild  cries  from  the  Mexi 
cans.  Another  field-piece  is  being  wheeled  into  the 
plaza  under  the  slackening  Texan  fire.  Then  suddenly 
Estrella,  who  is  looking  on  from  as  safe  an  embrasure 
as  can  be  found,  comes  to  him  and  whispers :  "My 
God,  Sharpe,  you  mean  to  do  it  ?" 

"Yes,  I've  got  to,  dear  one.  I'm  going  out  to  kill 
those  gunners  with  revolver  shots.  It's  the  only  thing. 
Revolver  shots  at  arm's  length  sicken  'em!  Then 
there'll  be  no  more  gunners  to  fire  the  piece." 

But  she  has  got  hold  of  him  and  is  imploring  him : 
"For  God's  sake,  give  yourself  one  chance.  Don't  die 
before  my  very  eyes !  Think  how  I  came  to  save  you ! 
Don't  go !"  then  has  suddenly  screamed  :  "He's  gone 
for  you !" 

For  the  little  Bravo  has  taken  two  hasty  puffs  of  his 
cigarette  and  tossed  it  away,  muttering :  "Reckon  it's 
my  last  one !"  and  with  two  big  revolvers  in  his  hands 
has  run  into  the  plaza  and  is  shooting  down  the  Mexi 
can  gunners  just  as  they  are  unlimbering  the  piece. 
But  he  is  not  protected  by  a  flag  of  truce,  and  though 


286  THE    SPY    COMPANY. 

he  comes  staggering  in,  he  falls  dying  at  the  feet  of 
Hampton,  as  Estrella  cries:  "Why  did  you  do  it?" 

To  her  he  answers  :  "Why,  Sharpe  looked  so  cursed 
happy,  I  thought  I'd  die  instead  of  him;"  then  whis 
pers:  "A  cigarette,  please."  But  after  a  puff  or  two 
his  blood  chokes  him,  he  coughs,  and,  opening  his 
arms,  as  if  he  were  taking  some  loved  form  into  them, 
mutters :  "Mother !"  turns  his  face  away  and  goes  to 
Heaven — Estrella  is  sure  he  goes  to  Heaven ! 

As  she  sobs  over  the  dead,  she  whispers :  "Sharpe, 
that  boy's  death  is  not  in  vain !  I  hear  something 
coming  down  the  trail — coming  down — horses'  hoofs !" 
Women's  senses  are  sometimes  more  acute  than  men's. 

The  Texan  Captain  listens  and  says :  "I  hear  noth 
ing,  and  yet  I  have  good  ears  upon  the  trail";  next 
abruptly  cries:  "Boys,  there's  horses'  hoofs — lots  of 
'em — down  the  trail  from  the  north.  They  can't  be 
anything  but  our  troops.  Never  mind  if  you  shoot 
your  last  cartridge  now.  Give  it  to  the  Greasers  every 
chance  you  get." 

Listening,  his  men  hear  also  the  sound  of  hoofs — 
many  of  them — at  full  gallop,  coming  down  the  trail. 
The  Mexican  outposts  are  being  drawn  in;  they  are 
preparing  to  ride  away. 

Estrella,  gazing  at  them,  gives  a  gasp  of  horror.  Ap 
parently  in  revenge  for  their  defeat,  they  drag  out  lit 
tle  Florito  from  the  church,  put  him  up  in  front  of  the 
wall,  and  a  firing  party  sends  the  traitor  to  his  last  ac 
count.  One  of  the  rangers  jeers  :  "The  little  Greaser 
has  got  his  pay  from  both  sides  now." 

As  the  head  of  an  American  cavalry  column  enters 
the  plaza,  there  is  a  cry :  "May's  Dragoons !"  and  right 
at  Estrella's  side  a  man  remarks:  "And  headin'  'em  is 
Wild  Harry  and  that  dancing  girl,  who  war  spyin'  for 
the  Capt'in  all  last  month !" 

But  Miss  Godfrey  is  too  happy  now  to  have  anght  in 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  287 

her  but  kindness  for  one  she  thinks  her  sister,  and  who 
has  once  more  saved  the  life  of  the  man  she  loves.  She 
looks  on  without  a  jealous  pang  as  Carmelita,  riding 
into  the  convent  garden,  calls  almost  hysterically  to  the 
Texan  Captain :  "Dios,  Sharpe,  saved  your  life  again, 
didn't  I?" 

"Whaugh,  how  we  rid,"  chuckles  Harry,  who  is  be 
side  her.  ''Lucky  Worth  has  taken  the  Loma  and 
Bishop's  Palace,  so  the  cavalry  could  be  let  off  for  this 
job." 

A  shout  of  triumph  from  the  Texans  announces  they 
have  heard  this  news  also  from  some  troopers  of  the 
relieving  force,  the  rest  having  gone  in  pursuit  of  the 
Mexicans. 

Then  Mr.  Love,  nodding  towards  Carmelita,  mutters 
to  Estrella :  "She  told  me  about  yer.  Jingo,  yer  grit 
ty.  Looks  as  if  ye'd  made  Sharpe  fight  pretty  hard 
to  keep  his  life  this  trip."  He  glances  at  the  scene  of 
combat. 

During  this  the  colonel  of  the  relieving  force  recalls 
his  squadrons,  remarking  significantly:  "Hampton, 
you've  sickened  them  of  fighting  for  to-day."  He 
points  across  the  plaza  towards  the  shambles  around 
the  deserted  field-pieces. 

Here  a  young  lieutenant,  returning  with  his  recalled 
troop  of  cavalry,  coming  up,  says :  "Thank  God, 
Hampton,  I've  overtaken  you  at  last !  Here's  a  letter 
Miss  Godfrey  charged  me  to  give  to  you."  Then  Pel- 
ham,  gazing  astonished  at  Estrella,  mutters :  "How  did 
you  do  it  ?" 

"Fortunately,  she  got  here  ahead  of  her  missive, 
otherwise  reckon  I'd  gone  under  with  so  many  of  my 
boys,"  sighs  Hampton,  looking  at  his  skeleton  troop. 
He  is  not  mounted.  Though  a  fresh  horse  has  been 
brought  up  to  hi  n,  he  stands  rather  holding  on  the 
pommel  of  the  saddle. 


288  THE   SPY    COMPANY. 

During  these  brief  moments,  Miss  Godfrey  has  twice 
had  Carmelita's  name  upon  her  lips,  adding  to  it  that 
of  sister,  but  the  other  has  always  turned  her  head 
from  her  as  if  ashamed. 

At  Pelham's  mention  of  correspondence,  an  expres 
sion  of  humiliated  misery  runs  over  the  dancing  girl's 
vivacious  features,  her  face  grows  pale  as  the  Texan's 
before  whom  her  horse  is  standing.  To  him  she  des 
perately  mutters:  "Sharpe,  here's  your  correspon 
dence,"  and  pulling  from  her  breast  a  package  of  let 
ters,  stained  and  dirty  from  long  mountain  travel, 
hands  them  to  the  astonished  Captain. 

"From  whom?"  he  asks.  They  are  addressed  to 
him  in  a  feminine  hand  that  he  has  never  seen  before. 

But  Miss  Godfrey  cries :     "From  me — my  letters !" 

"Yes,  kept  from  you,  Sharpe,  by  me,"  murmurs  Car- 
melita.  "Oh,  it  was  easy.  You  were  always  at  the 
front  scouting,  I  took  them  from  the  quartermaster  for 
delivery  to  you.  I — I  didn't  know  they'd  make  you 
want  to  live !  How  happy  your  face  is !  Adios, 
Sharpe."  She  holds  out  her  hand.  "Take  it,  and  for 
give  me !" 

"Where  are  you  going?"  asks  the  ranger,  his  voice 
rather  low. 

"To  my  countrymen,  the  Mexicanos  of  course!" 
Carmelita  has  reined  her  horse  to  turn  away.  Her  eyes 
are  full  of  tears.  She  looks  him  in  the  face  and  her 
lips  seem  to  say  :  "Querido  mio — forever." 

But  Hampton,  some  guess  of  her  design  getting  into 
him,  cries :  "Catch  her !  She's  going  to  her  death  ! 
They  have  shot  Florito  out  on  the  plaza  there  for  being 
a  spy.  Do  you  suppose  they  will  spare  her  after  having 
brought  you  down  upon  them?" 

As  he  lays  hand  upon  Carmelita's  rein,  she  plucks 
it  from  him  and  shudders :  "Stay  here  to  see  you  and 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  289 

her?    For  Dios,  no!"  and  drives  the  spurs  into  her 
mustang. 

But  Estrella  screams :  "Stop  her!  She's  trying  to 
get  killed!"  And  being  already  mounted,  rides  after 
her,  shouting:  "Sister,  come  back!" 

To  her  imploring,  Love  and  half  a  dozen  other 
troopers  join  the  chase.  But  it  is  difficult  to  catch  a 
Mexican  girl  on  horseback,  and  Carmelita  nearly  reach 
ing  the  Mexicans,  who  have  turned  back,  Wild  Harry 
suddenly  pulls  up  his  rifle  and  shoots. 

"Don't!  She's  my  sister!"  Screams  Estrella.  "Do 
you  want  to  murder  her  ?" 

"No,  I  want  to  save  her  life !"  says  the  frontiersman. 
"Shoot  at  the  Greasers,  boys,  as  if  you  war  shootin'  at 
ther  gal.  Shoot!  It  is  the  only  thing  will  save  her 
life.  Plug  close  to  her,  but  mind  yer  eyes  and  don't  hit 
her." 

Under  his  direction,  the  troopers  pour  in  a  volley 
from  their  carbines,  which  reach  one  or  two  of  the 
Mexicans,  though  Carmelita  rides  on.  They  shoot 
again  as  if  they  were  shooting  at  her,  all  the  time  Es 
trella  beseeching  them :  "For  God's  sake,  my  sister, 
my  sister !" 

Then  as  the  troopers  pull  up,  Wild  Harry  chuckles : 
"That  war  a  great  idea,  plugging  at  her  as  if  she  war 
an  escaping  prisoner.  That  will  save  her  life  from  the 
darned  Greasers,  if  anything  will.  The  very  notion 
that  we  wanted  to  kill  her  will  make  the  yaller  bellies 
think  she  is  one  of  thar  kind." 

"Do  you  think  they  will  shoot  her?"  questions  Es 
trella,  in  frantic  eagerness,  as  she  sees  her  sister's  red 
sarape  disappearing  in  a  cloud  of  dust,  surrounded  by 
Mexican  cavalry. 

"Reckon  not  after  our  tryin'  to  pot  her,"  cries 
Love.  "Waugh,  that  war  a  mighty  cute,  crazy  strata- 
gim  of  Wild  Harry,  warn't  it  ? 


THE    SPY    COMPANY. 

Becoming  more  composed,  Miss  Godfrey  looks  about 
her  and  says  :  "Why,  Sharpe's  not  here." 

"That's  kind  of  funny,"  mutters  Harry.  "The  Cap  is 
ginerally  to  the  front  in  every  scrimmage." 

The  two  ride  hastily  back,  to  find  the  Texan  Cap 
tain  seated  on  a  pile  of  saddles,  and  an  army  surgeon 
bending  over  him. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asks  Miss  Godfrey,  springing 
from  her  horse. 

"Nothing  to  be  scared  at,  Strella!"  The  Texan's 
answer  is  so  faint  she  hardly  hears  it. 

"Nothing!  Why,  he's  been  shot  for  hours,"  says 
the  surgeon,  who  is  working  over  him.  "He  was  bleed 
ing  slowly  to  death,  and  didn't  know  it.  But,  thank 
Providence,  I  got  to  him  in  time,  and  now,  with  plenty 
of  woman's  nursing " 

"Plenty  of  woman's  nursing,"  cries  Estrella.  "Oh, 
he'll  have  that." 

"Yes,  I  see  he  will,''  remarks  the  surgeon,  drily,  for 
already  the  girl  has  soothing  hands  on  her  wounded 
hero. 

A  little  after  she  turns  to  the  Colonel  commanding 
and  says  to  that  grim  officer :  "You  have  got  to  stay 
here  till  Hampton  has  recovered  some  strength." 

"I  guess  she's  about  right,  sir,"  remarks  the  surgeon, 
"for  a  day  or  two,  anyway." 

So  the  Colonel  leaves  Sharpe  Hampton  in  the  con 
vent,  but  leaves  two  troops  of  cavalry  to  protect  him 
and  the  rest  of  the  wounded. 

In  a  few  days  the  Ranger  Captain  is  brought  up 
through  the  mountain  pass,  attended  by  a  devoted  wo 
man,  who  is  sighing  over  him,  yet  fighting  death  for 
him  as  bravely  as  he  had  fought  guerrillas  to  save  her. 

Thus  they  reach  the  city  of  Monterey,  over  which 
the  American  flag  is  now  flying,  and  here  learn  that  an 
armistice  of  two  months  has  been  arranged  between 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  291 

General  Taylor  and  the  Mexican  military  authorities. 

From  this  city  Miss  Godfrey  tries  to  learn  something 
of  Carmelita's  fate,  but  can  hear  nothing  except  that 
no  woman  has  been  executed  by  the  Mexicans. 

After  a  time  she  brings  her  wounded  lover  by  easy 
stages  to  Camargo,  still  escorted  by  Wild  Harry  and 
Pelham,  with  a  detail  of  troopers. 

Here  she  is  joined  by  Zelma,  and  they  board  a 
steamer  to  take  them  down  the  Rio  Grande  to  Mata- 
moras.  Upon  the  vessel's  deck,  taking  leave  of  his  lost 
love,  Pelham  says  rather  sadly :  "I — I  suppose  the 
next  time  I  see  you — if  I  ever  come  back  from  the 
front — you  will  be  Mrs.  Hampton." 

"I  hope  so,"  answers  Estrella,  her  eyes  very  bright 
with  this  idea  as  she  turns  them  upon  her  wounded 
sweetheart,  who  is  now  sufficiently  recovered  to  enjoy 
the  air  and  a  cigar  upon  a  camp-stool. 

"I  know  so !"  laughs  Hampton,  who  has  regained 
some  of  his  old-time  spirit :  "By  San  Jacinto,  you 
couldn't  get  me  to  run  away  from  her  again  even  if  I 
had  shot  three  or  four  daddies.  You  see,  Strella's  rela 
tives  have  been  rather  hard  on  us.  First,  her  putative 
father's  death  separated  us,  and  then  her  letters  to  me 
were  cut  off  by  her  real  sister.  Between  ourselves,  I 
rather  imagine  Carmelita  is  Sybil." 

"I'm  sure  she  is,"  says  Estrella,  "and  in  that  matter, 
Mr.  Pelham,  I  hear  your  regiment  is  ordered  to  join 
Scott  and  to  go  down  to  the  City  of  Mexico.  When 
there,  do  what  you  can,  for  Heaven's  sake,  to  find  my 
sister  and  bring  her  back  to  me."  Here  coquetry 
sparkles  in  the  coming  bride's  eyes.  "You  know  Sybil 

is  very  like  me.  Just  put  us  in — in "  She  pauses 

embarrassed. 

"In  airy  Mexican  nothings,  short  skirts  and  bare 
legs,"  laughs  Hampton,  who  has  heard  the  dancing  girl 
episode,  "and  they're  as  like  as  two  peas." 


292  THE    SPY    COMPANY. 

"Hush,"  murmurs  Estrella,  blushingly,  "Mr.  Pel- 
ham  '11  think  you're  delirious  again,  Sharpe !" 

"Humph,  you  offer  a  very  attractive  inducement, 
Miss  Godfrey,"  observes  the  dragoon,  and  after  he  has 
taken  his  leave,  walks  off  the  steamer's  deck,  whistling 
rather  contemplatively. 

Two  months  later  the  big  hacienda  of  Live  Oaks  is 
decked  for  festival.  The  tenants,  settlers  and  under- 
overseers  are  feasting  on  wild  turkey  and  fresh  venison, 
and  every  negro  on  the  estate  is  so  full  of  good  things 
that  he  can  only  lie  around  and  yell  for  his  "missie." 

This  gala  day  is  under  the  auspices  of  Mr.  Alexander 
Martin,  who  has  taken  charge  of  his  ward's  great  es 
tate,  and  with  his  daughter,  the  dashing  brunette 
Clara,  is  now  making  this  festivity  for  Miss  Godfrey's 
wedding — a  simple  little  frontier  ceremony,  but  oh, 
how  happy  a  one ! 

This  is  indicated  by  Miss  Clara  Martin,  who 
gorgeously  arrayed  in  finest  New  York  fashion,  has 
acted  as  bridesmaid,  and  now  remarks  to  Wild  Harry, 
who,  in  the  first  "biled"  shirt  he  has  ever  sported  in  his 
life,  is  gazing  solemnly  at  the  groom :  "Don't  they 
look  happy?  Captain  Hampton  could  make  any  girl's 
heart  beat,  because  he's  every  inch  a  man.  Though  he 
still  walks  with  a  cane,  I'd  risk  him  against  a  grizzly 
bear.  Are  there  any  more  like  him  ?" 

"Yes,"  replies  Harry,  modestly,  "thar  are  five  hun 
dred  more  just  like  him  under  Hays,  and  I'm  one  of 
'em.  I'm  jist  like  him.  Waugh  !  That's  a  mighty  cute 
hint  of  mine,  ain't  it?"  he  chuckles,  for  his  wild  eyes 
have  awful  suggestions,  and  Miss  Martin  is  red  as  fire. 

For  one  of  the  few  times  in  her  life,  the  New  York 
belle  is  embarrassed.  She  has  turned  away  to  the  bride, 
who  has  just  been  received  by  Zelma.  In  a  modest 
maid's  dress  of  white,  the  octoroon  makes  a  beautiful 


THE   SPY   COMPANY.  293 

picture,  her  pearly  complexion  and  exquisite  tinting 
giving  her  Dresden  shepherdess  effects. 

As  she  curtesies  to  Estrella,  she  murmurs :  "Dear 
mistress,  did  not  I  say  out  on  the  prairie,  I'd  like  Cap 
tain  Hampton  for  a  master  ?" 

"You  have  no  master  now,"  remarks  the  bride,  radi 
antly.  "Sharpe  and  I  thought  we'd  do  something  for 
you  on  our  wedding  day.  You're  your  own  mistress. 
Mr.  Martin  has  your  papers  of  manumission." 

"Oh  God  bless  you,"  cries  the  girl,  and  kisses 
Sharpe's  hand  as  well  as  his  bride's.  "But — but  I'll 
never  leave  you,  anyway.  I  can  stay  with  her,  can't  I, 
Captain  Hampton,  just  as  you  will — forever?" 


A  year  and  a  half  after  this,  the  Mexican  war  being 
finished,  Captain  Hampton  and  his  wife  chancing  to  be 
in  New  Orleans,  Sharpe  buying  supplies  for  the  big 
plantation  and  Estrella  purchasing  pretty  things  for 
herself  and  baby,  are  standing  on  Canal  Street,  watch 
ing  Uncle  Sam's  soldiers,  returning  victorious  from  the 
Capital  of  the  Montezumas.  As  May's  Dragoons  are 
riding  past,  a  sunburnt  officer  salutes  his  colonel  and 
after  a  few  hurried  words,  apparently  receives  dismis 
sal.  An  orderly  seizes  his  horse's  bridle  as  he  jumps 
off  and  shakes  Hampton's  hands,  saying :  "I'm  luckier 
than  a  good  many  of  the  boys — I've  got  back  with  life 
and  promotion,  and " 

"Did  you  see  anything  of  my  sister,  Captain  Pel- 
ham  ?"  asks  Estrella,  very  eagerly,  her  eyes  filling  with 
tears. 

"Why,  yes!"  answers  the  Captain,  heartily.  "I  re 
membered  your  suggestion,  and  if  you  and  your  hus 
band  will  come  up  to  the  St.  Charles  Hotel  with  me, 
I've — I've  a  little  loot  from  the  Mexican  Capital  I'd 


294  THE   SPY   COMPANY. 

like  to  show  you.    In  fact,  it's  kind  of  a  present  to  you." 

"Yes,  but  tell  me  about  my  sister;  is  she  alive?" 
whispers  Estrella,  her  eyes  growing  misty. 

"Alive  and  well,  I  am  happy  to  say." 

"Thank  God !" 

And  they,  entering  the  parlors  of  the  St.  Charles 
Hotel,  an  ethereal  creature  in  white  muslin  and  big 
blue  sash  and  well-flounced  skirt,  after  the  extreme 
fashion  of  that  day,  tripping  from  the  verandah  through 
its  crowd  of  Creole  exquisites,  says  excitedly  :  "Carlos 
mio,  run  and  catch  Sharpe  Hampton !  I  saw  him  on 
the  sidewalk  below ;"  then  pauses,  for  Estrella  has  taken 
her  in  her  arms,  and  is  whispering :  "Sister !" 

"Sybil,  my  dear,"  remarks  Pelham,  "you  have  for 
gotten  the  etiquette  I've  been  teaching  you.  Mrs.  Pel- 
ham,  permit  me  to  introduce  Captain  Sharpe  Hamp 
ton." 

"Oh,  yes,  Dies  mio,  Carlos,  a  gentleman — my  bro 
ther-in-law — in  America,  what  shall  I  do,  kiss  him?" 

"Of  course,"  says  Hampton,  promptly ;  and  Estrella 
laughs  as  she  sees  her  husband  get  his  first  kiss  from 
Carmelita. 

"Jesus  Maria,  I  was  trying  to  kiss  him  for  four  years, 
and  now,  por  Dios,  it  doesn't  seem  very  much,"  laughs 
Carmelita.  "Carlos  mio  has  a  longer  moustache !" 

But  after  a  moment,  the  two  gentlemen,  as  is  usual 
in  such  cases  in  the  Southwest,  go  down  to  liquor  to  the 
bar,  leaving  the  ladies  together.  To  her  sister,  in  the 
course  of  their  chat,  Estrella  says :  "Sybil,  how  do  you 
get  along  in  civilization?" 

"Esplendido!  I  am  studying  society  under  my  hus 
band's  tuition,"  remarks  Carmelita,  in  fine-lady  lan 
guor  ;  then  breaks  out  vivaciously :  "Caspita,  already 
I  am  the  best-dressed  woman  in  the  American  Army. 
I  get  along  magnifico — everything  except  wearing 


THE   SPY    COMPANY.  295 

stockings,  and,  caramba,  they're  the  very  dickens ! 
But  supposing  you  tell  me  about  my  little  nephew." 

"I'll  show  him  to  you,"  answers  Estrella,  in  mother's 
pride.  And  Zelma  being  summoned,  she  says:  "Bring 
down  Crittenden." 

"Crittenden?  Oh — ah,  Crittenden,  the  little  cigar 
ette-smoking  Bravo  of  The  Spy  Company." 

"Yes,  we  named  our  child  after  the  boy  who  died  be 
cause  'Sharpe  looked  so  cursed  happy,'  "  murmurs  Es 
trella,  her  eyes  going  far  away  and  seeing  the  sun-burnt 
plaza,  the  smoke  drifting  from  the  musketry  in  the 
church  and  The  Spy  Company  lining  that  cactus-cov 
ered  convent  wall  and  fighting  and  dying  that  she 
might  be  happv. 

FINIS. 


OPIKIONS  OF 

THE  GREAT  NOVEL, 

Mr.  Barnes 


of  New  York, 


ENGLAND. 

*  There  is  no  reason  for  surprise  at  'Mr.  Barnes* 
being  a  big  hit." — The  Referee,  London,  March  25th. 

"Exciting  and  interesting" — The  Graphic. 

"'  Marina  Paoli' — a  giant  character— just  as  strong 
as  *  Fedora.' " — Ittwtrated  London  News. 

"A  capital  story — most  people  have  read  it— I 
recommend  it  to  all  the  others." 

—JAMES  PAYNE  in  Illustrated  London  News, 

AMERICA. 

"Told  with  the  genius  of  Alexander  Dumas,  the 
Elder." — Amusement  Gazette. 

"Have  you  read  '  MR.  BARNES  OF  NEW  YORK  ? '  If 
no,  go  and  read  it  at  once,  and  thank  me  for  suggesting 
it.  ...  I  want  to  be  put  on  record  as  saying  *  it  is 
the  best  story  of  the  day — the  best  I  have  read  in  ten 
years.' " — JOE  HOWARD  in  Boston  Globe. 

But  at  that  time  Mr.  Howard  had 
not  read 

"Mr.  Potter  of  Texas." 


of  Panama  and  Paris. 

^  NOVEL. 

BY 

ARCHIBALD  CLAVERING  GUNTER, 

AUTHOR    OF 
"  Mr.  Barnes  of  New  York,"  "  Mr.  Potter  of  Texas,"  etc 


"  Here,  certainly,  is  a  rattling  story." 

— N.  Y.  Times,  June  5th,  1893 

"  Mr.  Gunter  has  written  nothing  better  than  the 
volume  before  us,  and  that  is  high  praise  indeed,  for 
his  writings  in  recent  years  have  had  a  world  wide 
reputation." 

— Ohio  State  Journal,  Columbus,  May  29,  1893. 

"  With  the  merit  of  continuous  and  thrilling  interest." 
— Chicago  2'imes,  May  27,  1893. 

"  The  latest  of  Mr.  Gunter's  popular  romances  will  be 
read  with  interest  by  the  many  who  have  already  followed 
the  fortunes  of  '  Mr.  Barnes  of  New  York,'  and  '  Mr. 
Potter  of  Texas.' " 

— The  Times,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  May  20,  1893 

M  This  is  a  story  of  thrilling  interest." 

— Christian  Leader ;  Cincinnati,  June  6.  1893, 


ANOTHER  GREAT  SUCCESS. 

Miss  Nobody 
of  Nowhere, 


BY 

ARCHIBALD  C.  GUNTER. 


14  Full  of  incident  and  exdtea.ent."  —  AVze/  York  Herald. 

"The  popularity  of   Mr.  Guut.2i:  will  now  be  greater 
than  ever."  —  Tacoma  Globe. 

"  A  story  that  will  keep  a  man  away 
from  his  meals."  —  Omaha 


"  There  is  not  a  dull  page  in  this  v  olun.e  " 

—Daily  Chronicle,  London  <  )&A*  14,  1891, 

'*  Gunter  scores  another  success." 

—  Morning  Advertiser,  London,  Dec   i6,  1890- 

"  Well  worth  reading." 

—Galignani*  Pahs,  Nov  34,  1890 

"*  Nothing  could  exceed  its  thrilling  interest." 

—  Glasgow  Herald,  Dec.  25,  1  890 

'*  Gunter's  latest  remarkable  story  will  no*  disappoint 
his  numerous  adm*rers." 

—  Newcastle  Chronicle,  Dec,  4   1890 


' '  Rattling  good  reading. " — Mail  and  Express,  New  York. 


"As  full  of  action  as  an  egg  is  full  of  meat,  and  yet  its  action  is  as  natural  and  well 
sustained  as  it  is  spirited  and  exciting." — New  York  World. 


"Mr.  Gunter's  latest  story  of  love  and  adventure  opens  in  Paris  amid  the  wild 
scenes  of  the  Revolution  of  1848.  *  *  *  The  graphic  pictures  of  this  historic  epoch 
are  vividly  drawn.  *  *  *  The  story  will  be  welcomed  by  those  who  enjoy  an  exciting 
romance." — Home  Journal,  New  York. 


"We  have  a  curious  insight  into  the  methods  of  Italian  schools  of  singing  and  danc 
ing,  ana  a  very  thrilling  account  of  the  secret  service  systems  of  France  and  Austria, 
as  well  as  of  an  Italian  revolution." — Times-Star,  Cincinnati. 


"It  contains  a  most  ingenious  and  striking  plot,  worked  out  with  great  accuracy  of 
detail.  It  is  filled  with  an  inspiring  elan — and  enthusiasm.  If  you  open  it  you  will  for 
get  that  time  flies  and  a  six  hours  railway  journey  will  seem  to  you  like  so  many  happy 
minutes.  But  this  is  peculiar  to  all  of  Mr.  Gunter's  celebrated} books." — Phillipsburg 
Journal. 

"The  story  is  cleverly  told  and  deals  with  the  incidents  coincident  with  the  French 
revolution  of  1848,  which  saw  the  downfall  of  Louis  Philippe.  A  young  French  woman, 
Adrienne,  escapes  from  Paris,  and  the  scenes  are  shifted  to  Italy  where  under  an  assumed 
name  her  life  is  filled  with  adventures,  love  and  intrigue.  The  story  is  by  no  means 
sensational,  though  told  in  that  clear  style  for  which  Gunter  is  noted." — The  Call, 
Philadelphia,  Pa 


"Will  add  materially  to  the  popular  favor  with  which  the  previous  books  of  Archi 
bald  Clavering  Gunter,  such  as  'Mr.  Barnes  of  New  York"  and  other  tales  have  been 
received.  The  stirring  days  of  the  revolution  in  France  (1848)  when  the  hours  of  Louis 
Philippe  the  republican  king,  were  numbered,  makes  a  striking  background  for  the 
beginning,  and  an  Austro- Italian  intrigue  makes  good  scenery  for  the  main  part  of  the 
story,  dealing  with  the  escape  and  hounding  by  French  officers  of  the  lovely  fugitive, 
her  metamorphosis,  her  capture  of  the  tenor  patriot  Da  Messina,  her  heroically  dramatic 
leadership  of  the  Milan  revolt ,  her  narrow  escape  from  death ,  and  an  exceedingly  pretty 
ending  to  it  all,  which  must  be  read  to  be  at  all  appreciated." — The  Boston  Globe. 


Cloth,  $1.50  Paper,  50  Cents 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent  prepaid  on  receipt  of  price  by 

The  Home  Publishing  Company 

3  East  Fourteenth  Street,  New  York 


Sir  Guy  Chester 


OR 


The  First  of  the  English 


A  NOVEL 


Showing  how,  years  ago,  England  handled  the  question 
of  Spanish  barbarity  in  a  neighboring  province,  similar 
to  the  Cuban  one  that  the  United  States  has  solved 
to-day. 

™—T?  V__ 

Archibald   Clavering  Gunter 

AUTHOR  OF 
MR.  BARNES  OF  NEW  YORK,  ETC.  ETC. 


"  One  of  his  cleverest  stories." — Brooklyn  Eagle, March  2, 1895. 

"A    vivid   and   dashing   sort   of   historical   romance." — San 
Francisco  Chronicle,  March  if,  1895. 

"  Always  true  to  his  historical  atmosphere." — Syracuse  Post, 
March  11,  1895. 

"  As  interesting  as  his  former  works." — The  Argus,  Albany, 
N.   Y. 

"  The  story  shows  evidence  of  careful  research  and  historic 
accuracy." — Newark  Daily  Advertiser. 


Tangled  Flags 


ARCHIBALD  CLAVERING  GUNTER 
The  Most  Startling  Novel  of  the  Age 

r 

"A  rattling  romance."  —  New  York  Herald. 

"Mr.  Gunter  has  used  his  wide  resources  with  wisdom.  The  closing 
scene  is  infinitely  significant  and  expressive."  —  Boston  Ideas. 

"Mr.  Gunter  is  a  novelist  of  the  people.  He  will  retain  his  public  a* 
long  as  he  turns  out  such  books  as  'Tangled  Flags.'  "  —  New  York  Mail  and 
Express. 

"  '  Tangled  Flags  '  is  a  book  well  worthy  to  begin  the  literature  of  the 
new  century.  Osuri  Katsuma  stands  forth  as  strongly  as  any  of  Dumas's 
heroes."  —  The  Literary  News. 

"  A  novel  so  well  constructed  and  possessing  so  much  of  real  and  lasting 
dramatic  quality  that  it  will  be  read  with  keen  interest  when  the  events  with 
which  it  deals  have  become  matters  of  dim  history.  Just  now  it  has  a  special 
value,  because  those  events  but  recently  thrilled  all  Christendom  and  are  still 
fresh  in  the  public  mind.  *  *  While  the  flags  of  the  nations  are  be 

coming  entangled  in  Peking,  it  is  small  wonder  that  these  people,  so  diverse  in 
character  and  training  and  purpose,  should  entangle  their  fortunes  and  affairs. 
But  few  living  novelists  have  the  genius  and  the  personal  acquaintance  with  the 
scenes  and  events  that  will  help  to  weave  them  into  such  a  satisfactory  romance 
as  'Tangled  Flags.'  "  —  Bookseller,  3(ewsdealcr  and  Stationer. 

Cloth,  $1.50  Paper,  50  Cents 

At  all  booksellers  or  sent  -prepaid  on  receipt  of  price  by 

The  Home  Publishing  Co, 

3  East  Fourteenth  Street 
w     To  r 


"Ready  in  February 

The  Golden  Rapids 

of  High  Life 

-A  JfOVEL 
By 

Col.  RICHARD  HENRY  SAVAGE 


of  "My  Official  Wife."  "Art  Exile  from 
London,  Etc. 

NOTHING  exceeds  the  glitter  of  our  modern  social 
whirl  !  The  United  States  are  rapidly  reaching  the 
Augustan  age  of  Rome,  where  that  which  was  "mud 
and  brick"  was  replaced  by  "gold  and  marble  !  "  The  diplo 
matic  and  social  life  of  America  has  its  swirling  rapids  of 
Golden  High  Life  in  which  the  strong  swimmer  goes  down, 
without  a  last  bubbling  cry.  This  intense  novel  portrays  the 
theatre  of  the  over  nervous  social  life  of  to-day,  the  heartless 
yet  intelligent  circle,  which  is  a  warning  of  some  grave  disaster, 
yet  to  come  !  The  thrilling  epochs  of  the  last  four  years  are 
herein  depicted  by  a  master  hand.  There  are  currents  and 
counter  currents  in  our  national  and  municipal  life  which  are 
not  discerned  save  by  those  who  are  admitted  to  the  inner 
circles. 

The  secrets  of  the  last  few  years  are  frankly  unveiled.  We 
can  see  where  the  "Ship  of  State"  has  lumbered  along  past 
reefs,  bars  and  rocks  ;  any  one  of  which  would  have  caused  a 
national  disaster,  had  the  worst  come  to  the  worst.  There  is 
a  lively  human  interest,a  deep  sincerity,and  a  prophetic  patriotism 
in  every  page  of  this  brilliant  story,  in  which  love  and  adven 
ture,  state-craft  and  pride,  are  mingled  with  a  dexterous  touch. 

Cloth.  £1.25  Taper.  5O  cent* 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers  or  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  price  by 

The  Home  Publishing  Company 

3  East  Fourteenth  Street,  New  York 


<spl/ 


DATE  DUE 


PRINTED  IN  USA. 


nrn  0l-_ 

001  259  341    4 


